Public Speaking? There's an App

According to the 2015 Chapman University Survey of American Fears, the top three personal anxieties that make us lose sleep are (1) reptiles, (2) public speaking, and (3) heights.

There’s not much Quiet Revolution can do about scary snakes and dizzying drop-offs, but when it comes to glossophobia, we are here to help with a selection of apps that focus on the different facets of making a presentation.

So, clip on that wireless mike, and be heard!

Before the curtain rises

If you need to sedate the butterflies in your stomach prior to making a presentation, Public Speaking (Android) and Confident Public Speaking (iOS and Android) may give you some relief. These apps are guided meditation and self-hypnosis programs that can help you relax and minimize the anxiety of speaking in front of crowds.

A certain number of verbal pauses are perfectly fine, but when your speech is peppered with many ummms and uhhhs, it gets distracting and annoying. Cue Ummo (iOS)! Tell the app which words you want to track, then record your speech. Ummo will generate a transcript that highlights the words you specified. Use your newfound awareness to cut back on or eliminate the rough spots.

And then there’s VirtualSpeech (iPhone and Android), a virtual reality app that allows you to use your smartphone to simulate presenting to an audience. You need a VR headset as well as the app, so the whole setup is on the pricier side, but…but…VIRTUAL REALITY, dude. For realz.

Your personal prompter

Few things are more terrifying than drawing a blank when you’re facing a room full of people. Our pioneer ancestors used primitive tools such as cue cards, paper notes, and scripts, but today we have downloadable software such as PrompsterPro (for iOS and Android), PromptSmart (for iOS), TelePrompter (for iOS), and A Prompter (for Android).

These apps convert your mobile device into a swanky teleprompter and offer a variety of features:

Audio and video recording so you can practice and critique your presentation before you deliver it and then save the actual presentation for distribution afterward
The ability to upload, download, and edit the document you read from
Adjust the font size on the display so you don’t squint (and look shifty)
Timers that will keep you on track

PromptSmart also uses voice-recognition technology that actually FOLLOWS YOUR VOICE as you speak, adapting to your pace and even stopping when you do. WIZARDRY.

Start the countdown

There’s nothing groundbreaking about timers, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t useful. It’s easy to lose track of time, and it can get really uncomfortable when the exit music starts to play and you’re gently escorted off stage.

SpeakerClock (for iOS) is similar in appearance and function to the TEDTalk timer, with REALLY BIG DIGITS that you can see from a distance.

For Android, there’s the Toastmaster Timer that uses a traffic-light system that goes from green to yellow to red as you near the end of your scheduled talk time.  

Of course, the absolute BEST thing you can do to become a more proficient public speaker is to, well, speak in public as often as you can. The butterflies in your stomach will probably still flutter around, but at least they won’t feel as if they’re as big as pterodactyls!

Read Read and Read

How to Benefit from Your Reading

Reading can be a pain if you aren't a bookworm or a diligent reader already. Here are some ways to make reading - especially for study - more beneficial for you.

Steps

1

Keep a reading journal. In your journal, write a summary of the chapter, a list of vocabulary words that elude or confuse you, and brief discussion about how the section made you feel/what you thought of/meaning, etc.

2

Choose your reading area.Read in a comfortable area, but not too comfortable. If you don't care much for reading, reading in bed, or on a comfy couch may not be a good idea. You don't want to fall asleep!

3

Manage your reading time. Try to dedicate certain times for your reading. Also, try to stick to those times.

Chose the timing for reading wisely. Reading right before bed may not be the best time for a non-reader. Try the morning, or during meals.

Read in spurts, ten minutes here, twenty there. Don't spend all day with a book if you don't have the time.

4

Write and reflect on the book. Make notes in the margins, and ask yourself questions about what you've just read. The questions can be rhetorical, the idea is to turn the page into a grounds for thinking, books don't mind if you write on them.

Use highlighters, page tabs, and favorite pens/bookmarks. Believe it or not, this makes reading more study than tedious work.

Write a summary or take down quotations of passages with special meaning to you.

Write a piece of your own inspired by or in the style of what you have read. Reading can be an excellent inspiration and guide towards writing.

5

Find people to discuss the book with. You can start a book club, discuss the book online and read others' discussions, or if it's for a class, a group you discuss the work with outside of class. You can include reviews, or critical analysis.

6

Look at your own habits and tendencies in light of what you read. What have you learned? What would you change about yourself.

Tips

Just read; don't set up chapter or page goals. Keep it simple, and fun at the beginning!

Do a little exercise before you read. You'll be awake and alert.

Warnings

Don't read with the TV or computer on - too distracting!

Don't read if you are already sleepy!

Don't keep reading on a full stomach - nap time will get you!

Never underline or highlight in a library book. Use removable flags, bookmarks, or sticky notes if you wish to mark important passages.

Dummy Pronouns

Dummy Pronouns 
=========================
What is a dummy pronoun?
Dummy pronouns are words that function grammatically as pronouns, but which do not have antecedents like normal pronouns do. This means that, unlike normal pronouns, dummy pronouns do not replace a noun, phrase, or clause. They refer to nothing in particular, but instead help the sentence to function properly in a grammatical context. Dummy pronouns are also commonly referred to as expletive pronouns.
There are two dummy pronouns, there and it.
There as a dummy pronoun
There is primarily used as a dummy pronoun in circumstances where the sentence is explaining that a person, place, or thing exists. When the word there is being used in this manner, it is often referred to as existential there. For example, the following sentences contain the dummy pronoun there to explain the existence of people, places, or things:
“There is a ship in the harbor.”
“There is a bowl on the table.”
“There were flowers in the meadow.”
“There is a river that passes through the mountain.”
“There are many reasons to go to Jamaica.”
Singular vs. Plural use of there
The dummy pronoun there can be used in either a singular or plural context. When it is used in a singular context, the correlating nouns and verbs have singular endings; when it is used in a plural context, the corresponding nouns and verbs have plural endings.
Singular
“There is a fence around the yard.”
In this case, the existence of only one thing, a fence, is being discussed. Therefore, the singular verb is and the singular noun fence are used. Here is another example of there being used in a singular context:
“There is a canoe on the lake.
Again, the existence of only one canoe is being discussed, so the singular verb is and the singular noun canoe are used.
Plural
“There are two fences around the yard.”
This sentence discusses the existence of two fences, and thus the plural form is used. This is demonstrated by the use of the plural verb are and the plural noun fences. Here is another example:
“There are many canoes on the lake.”
This sentence discusses the existence of two or more canoes. Because of this fact, the plural verb are and the plural noun canoes are used.
Difference from adverbial there
Although the word there can be used as a dummy pronoun, it can also be used as an adverb; it is important to know the difference between the two.
When there is being used as an adverb, it is taking the place of an adverbial phrase, oftentimes an adverbial prepositional phrase. For example, consider the following sentences:
“They swam in the water.”
“They swam there.”
“I’m going to hide the cookies up above the fridge.”
“I’m going to hide the cookies up there.”
In these cases, the word there acts as an adverbial that gives further information about where the action takes place. But, if the word there were used differently in a similar sentence, it could function as a dummy pronoun. For example:
“There were fish where they swam.”
“There are cookies up above the fridge.”
Both of these sentences use the existential there to explain that certain things—namely, the fish and the cookies—exist. There also does not have any antecedents in these sentences, so it is clearly functioning as a dummy pronoun in both.
It as a dummy pronoun
Just like the dummy pronoun there, it is also used as a pronoun without an antecedent in sentences. It is commonly used in situations when weather, distance, or time is being discussed.
Weather
The following are examples of sentences that use it as a dummy pronoun related to weather.
“It looks like it may snow tonight.”
“Is it raining?”
“It was very sunny at the beach last weekend.”
“It always seems to sleet when he drives on the highway.”
Distance
The following examples use it as a dummy pronoun in sentences involving distance.
“It is very far from North America to Europe.”
“Is it a long drive to get to the mountain?”
“It is a short walk once you get out of the forest.”
“It is farther than you think to drive to California.”
Time
The following examples use it as a dummy pronoun in sentences involving time.
“It is 4:30.
“It was earlier than he expected.”
“Could you tell me what time it is?”
“She told him to come back when It was later in the day.”
Other uses
There are a number of other situations where it can be used as a dummy pronoun, without pertaining to weather, distance, or time.
When it functions as an empty subject to introduce or “anticipate” something that appears later in the sentence, it is sometimes referred to as anticipatory it. For example:
“It was assumed that the tour guide knew exactly how to get there.”
“It seems that four people showed up instead of the expected two.”
It can also function as an object when it is a dummy pronoun:
“The teacher seemed a bit out of it yesterday.
“Watch it, pal!”
Singular vs. Plural
Notice that in all of the examples above, it is only functioning as a singular dummy pronoun. This is because it can’t be plural. This means that the verbs and objects in sentences with the dummy pronoun it have to be singular as well.
Subject vs. object
A subject is a noun or pronoun that performs the action of the verb. An object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb,
The dummy pronoun it can either function as the subject of a sentence or as the object, although it is more commonly used as the subject. Existential there, on the other hand, can only be a subject.
(The word there can function as the object of a preposition, as in “We left from there.” However, it is considered a noun in this case, not a pronoun.)
Here are some examples of sentences where dummy pronouns are used as subjects:
“There are many ducks in the pond.”
“There is a tree in the middle of the field.”
“It is 12:30.”
“It is sunny outside today.”
Here are some examples of sentences where dummy pronouns are used as objects:
“Will he make it to the game?”
“You have to cool it down.”
“Watch it!”
=======================

Gerunds and Infinitives

5 Simple Rules to Master the Use of Gerunds and Infinitives 👇📌
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

📍Rule 1: Gerunds can be used as a subject of a sentence.
Take a look at some examples.

Walking is good for your health.

Making friends has become more difficult since I moved to a new city.

Becoming a millionaire is a dream of many young people today.

Here, the gerunds (in bold) are part of the sentence subjects (“walking,” “making friends,” “becoming a millionaire”). All three sentences sound like normal, everyday English.

Now read these two sentences:

“To be or not to be—that is the question.”

“To mourn a mischief that is past and gone is the next way to draw new mischief on.”

(Both sentences are quotes from William Shakespeare’s works.)

They sound formal, don’t they? They are poetic, aren’t they? Shakespeare is one of the greatest authors of all time, but his English is famously difficult to understand. And that’s because it is literature. It is formal and it is art.

In those two quotes, the infinitives “to be” and “to mourn” are used as the sentence subjects.

So, it is possible to use both infinitives and gerunds as subjects, but gerunds are much more commonly used as subjects. Just pay attention to how the choice reflects on the tone and meaning of your sentences.

📍Rule 2: Both gerunds and infinitives can be used as objects of a sentence.
You may say:

“I enjoy drawing.”

You may also say:

“Yesterday, I decided to draw.”

Both sentences are correct, but one has an infinitive as the object and the other has a gerund as the object.

What is the difference?

It’s the verbs that precede (come before) the object! Some verbs require a gerund and some will require an infinitive. In the above examples, we can see that the formula is “enjoy” + [gerund] and “decide” + [infinitive].

With practice, you will be able to remember which one is which.

Here are a few examples of verbs that need to be followed by an infinitive:

agree: I agreed to go to a party with my friend.
decide: The president decided not to participate in the discussions.
deserve: Everyone deserves to be respected.
expect: I expect to know my exam grade by tomorrow.
hope: We were hoping to avoid traffic by leaving early.
learn: He learned not to trust anyone.
need: She needs to learn how to cook.
offer: I offered to help my brother with homework.
plan: We are planning to watch a movie tonight.
promise: My friend promised to find the time to help me move.
seem: We seem to be lost.
wait: I cannot wait to see my family.
want: I don’t want to go to bed yet.
There are lots of verbs that require an infinitive after. You will learn them naturally, as you progress in your English studies.

And here are a few examples of verbs that need to be followed by a gerund:

admit: They admitted changing the schedule.
advise: I advise proceeding (moving forward) with caution.
avoid: She avoided looking me in the eye.
consider (think about): I considered staying silent, but I had to tell her.
deny: I denied knowing about his secret.
involve: The course involved writing three tests.
mention (say something): She mentioned seeing my brother at a baseball game.
recommend: I recommend practicing gerunds and infinitives.
risk: Don’t risk losing your job!
suggest: I suggest reading more English short stories.

📍Rule 3: Infinitives should be used after many adjectives.
Here are three sample sentences that will help to illustrate this rule:

It is not easy to graduate from university.

It is necessary to speak English to work in a hotel.

It is wonderful to have close friends.

When you describe something with an adjective (underlined in the examples above), an infinitive should follow (in bold). Using gerunds here would be incorrect.

But remember! If you want to make that object into a subject (see Rule 1), a gerund should be used:

Graduating from university is not easy.

Speaking English is necessary to work in a hotel.

Having close friends is wonderful.

How else do you know if an adjective should be followed by an infinitive? The construct “too + [adjective]” is another way to tell!

For example:

This dress is too big to wear.

This car is too expensive to buy.

And the same is true about “[adjective] + enough”:

My child is not tall enough to ride this rollercoaster.

The course was detailed enough to widen his knowledge base.

This rule is useful enough to understand the usage of infinitives!

📍Rule 4: Only infinitives are used after sentence objects that are nouns or pronouns referring to a person.
“We asked her not to go.”

In this sentence, “we” is the subject, “asked” is the verb and “her” is the objective form of the pronoun “she.” You must use an infinitive (“to go”), never a gerund, after direct and indirect objects referring to people.

To remember this rule, you will have to study verbs that take an object and an infinitive.

Start with these examples. The objects (nouns and pronouns) are underlined. Notice how the underlined objects are all followed by infinitives.

ask: Can I ask you to help me with something?
expect: I never expected him to become famous.
hire (give a job to someone): Did the company hire you just to sit in your office?
invite: I invited a friend to attend the ceremony.
order: She ordered the child to stay at home.
remind: Please remind me to wash the dishes.
require: The test required him to concentrate fully.
teach: That will teach you to follow the rules!
tell: Who told you to come here?
urge: They urged me to continue my research.
warn: I am warning you not to do this!

📍Rule 5: Only gerunds are used after prepositions (with one exception).
Consider this sentence:

I talked him out of taking that job.

Here, the gerund “taking” follows the preposition “of.”

Prepositions can follow any word, be it a noun, a pronoun, a verb or an adjective. In the examples below, the prepositions are underlined, followed by the gerunds in bold.

A preposition that follows a noun:

Novels about growing up are popular among teenagers.

I have an interest in becoming a painter.

A preposition that follows a pronoun:

I forgive you for not telling the truth.

A preposition that follows a verb:

She is thinking about trying martial arts.

He looks forward to meeting his cousins.

A preposition that follows an adjective:

I am wary of going alone.

My mom is scared of flying.

There is one exception. Thankfully, it should be easy to remember!

The exception

“But” is a short word that connects two clauses of a sentence together. It is called a conjunction. Sometimes, “but” can also play a role of a preposition. When “but” is used as a preposition, it is the same in meaning as “except.”

If “but” or “except” are used like this, they need to be followed by an infinitive:

I had no choice but to follow her.
(I had to follow her.)

Mary made no stops on the way except to get gas.
(Mary only stopped to get gas.)

There is nothing left for me to do but to collect my money and go.
(I only have to collect my money and go.)

You may not see “but” and “except” used this way often. Just follow the rule of gerunds after prepositions, and you will get it right most of the time!



Gerunds and infinitives may be confusing, but they make your English speech more varied and colorful. It is very useful to study them and practice using them correctly. The more you notice gerunds and infinitives in your study of the English language, the easier it will get!

Sometimes you will be unsure if you need to use an infinitive or a gerund in a sentence. In this situation, try changing the sentence and saying what you want to say in a different way.

Practicing is how you become more fluent. It is important to practice.

Participle Phrases

Participle Phrases 
**************************************
What is a participle phrase?
Participles are words formed from verbs that can function as adjectives, as gerunds, or to form the continuous and perfect tenses of verbs. Past participles are often (but not always) formed by adding “-d” or “-ed” to the end of the verb, while present participles are always formed by adding “-ing” to the end.
When they function as adjectives, participles can form participle phrases (sometimes known as participle clauses) with any information that modifies or complements them. Because they function as adjectives, participle phrases modify nouns, noun phrases, or pronouns in a sentence.
Using participle phrases
We can form phrases using present, past, perfect, and passive perfect participles—each one changes the way the noun is modified. Where they appear in a sentence also impacts the sentence’s meaning, as well as the way in which they’re punctuated.
Present participle phrases
If we use the present participle in a phrase, we give the phrase an active meaning. In other words, the noun being modified is the agent of the action expressed by the present participle. For example:
“Singing in the shower, I was oblivious to the doorbell ringing.” (I was singing.)
“James, hiding under the bed, was completely silent.” (James was hiding.)
Past participle phrases
If we use the past participle to form an adjectival phrase, the noun being modified is either given a passive role in the action, or else is being described. For example:
“My car, destroyed in the accident, was taken away by the mechanics.”
“My sister, exhausted after a long day’s work, fell asleep on the sofa.”
In the first example, the noun phrase my car is not the agent of the action, but is being acted upon; it has been destroyed by another driver, and so it has a passive role. In the second example, my sister is also not the agent of the verb exhaust. Instead, exhausted is used to describe how she feels.
Perfect participle phrases
When we want to emphasize that one event happened before another, we can use the structure having + past participle—this is sometimes known as the perfect participle. Perfect participle phrases, like the present participle, designate that the noun being modified is the agent of the participle’s action. For example:
“Having seen the movie before, I wouldn’t want to see it again.”
“Having done so much exercise this morning, we should eat a big lunch.”
“She was exhausted, having stayed up all night.”
Passive perfect participle phrases
If we want to describe a noun that was passively acted upon in an event that happened before another one, we can use what is known as the passive perfect participle (sometimes called the perfect passive participle), which is structured as having + been + past participle. For example:
“Having been dismissed from class early, Thomas decided to explore the river by his house.”
“The turkey, having been burnt to a crisp, was thrown in the garbage.”
“The book is ancient, having been written nearly 3,000 years ago.”
This is similar to how past participle phrases are used, but the emphasis is placed on the first action happening further in the past. And whereas past participle phrases can be used to describe a noun or pronoun, passive perfect participle phrases stress the action being done to the noun—they cannot be used to create simple descriptions. For instance:
“My sister, exhausted after a long day’s work, fell asleep on the sofa.” (correct)
“My sister, having been exhausted after a long day’s work, fell asleep on the sofa.” (incorrect)
Sentence Placement
Where a participle phrase appears in a sentence changes the way we punctuate it, as does its importance to the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
Initial position
When a participle phrase occurs in the initial position, it is usually separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma. For example:
“Running to the car, the boy welcomed his father home after three months away.”
“Singing in the shower, I was oblivious to the doorbell ringing.”
“Scared, my sister slept with the light on.”
Middle position
When the phrase occurs in the middle position, and is not essential to the meaning of the sentence, it should be set apart from the rest of the sentence by two commas. For example:
“My sister, exhausted, has fallen asleep on the sofa.”
“James, hiding under the bed, was completely silent.”
“The turkey, having been burnt to a crisp, was thrown in the garbage.”
If we took the participle phrases out, each of the examples above would still mean the same thing, just with less descriptive detail.
However, if a participle phrase occurs in the middle position and is essential to the meaning of the sentence, it should not be set apart by commas. For example:
“The students finished with their work may have a break.”
“Jackets left behind will be donated.”
“Participants breaking the rules will be removed from the competition.”
If we took the participle phrases out of these examples, we would be left with completely different meanings, as each phrase describes an essential aspect about the noun to set it apart from others. To make it clear that this description is integral to the sentence’s meaning, we do not use commas to set it apart.
Final position
If the participle phrase occurs in the final position immediately after the noun that it modifies, it doesn’t need a comma. For example:
“We looked for hours and finally found James hiding under the bed.”
“The cat had no interest in the poor dog wagging its tail.”
“I was in such a hurry I didn’t notice my jacket left on the table.”
However, when it occurs in final position but not immediately after the noun that it modifies, it does need a comma. For example:
“It was obvious he really enjoyed the meal, having helped himself to more dessert.”
“My sister cried as she packed up her belongings, saddened at the idea of moving out of her childhood home.”
“Most of the puzzle pieces have disappeared, misplaced after so many years.”
Common mistakes
When we use participle phrases as adjectives, it’s important that the noun modified is clearly stated and that the phrase appears as close to it as possible. Otherwise, we run the risk of errors known as misplaced modifiers and dangling modifiers.
Misplaced modifiers
A misplaced modifier can occur when there is more than one noun in the sentence. If we don’t place the participle phrase close enough to the noun that it modifies, it may seem that it modifies another noun. For example:
“Terrified after watching a scary movie, my father had to comfort my little sister.”
In the above sentence, the participle phrase terrified after watching a scary movie is supposed to modify my little sister. However, since my father appears closer to the participial phrase, it seems it is the father who is terrified. The sentence should be rewritten to correct the misplaced modifier. For example:
“My father had to comfort my sister, terrified after watching a scary movie.”
or:
“Terrified after watching a scary movie, my sister had to be comforted by my father.”
or:
“My sister, terrified after watching a scary movie, had to be comforted by my father.”
Dangling modifiers
A dangling modifier occurs when we don’t clearly state the noun that is supposed to be modified by the participle. For example:
“Walking down the road, the birds were singing.”
Because the sentence does not state who was walking down the road, is seems that it was the birds, which is probably not the intended meaning. The sentence needs to include another noun or pronoun being described by the phrase to correct the dangling modifier. For example:
“Walking down the road, I (or she, he, Mary, the couple, etc.) heard the birds singing.”

Compound Adjectives

Compound Adjectives

What is a compound adjective?

A compound adjective (also known as a compound modifieror a phrasal adjective) is created by two or more words that work jointly to modify the same noun; they always appear before the noun they modify, and they are usually joined together by a hyphen (or hyphens) to clarify that the words are working as a single modifying unit.

Creating compound adjectives

Compound adjectives are made up of multiple words, and, in various combinations, they can be composed of adjectives, nouns, quantifiers, participles, and adverbs.

Sometimes, other types of words are used to join two (or more) others. For example, the conjunction and is often used between two nouns or two adjectives to create a three-word compound adjective.

Let’s look at some examples of the different combinations we can make below.

Adjective + Adjective

When multiple adjectives are used to modify the same noun, they usually appear with commas between them or simply in a row with no punctuation, depending on the order of adjectives. If two or more adjectives are functioning together as a single unit, though, we must use hyphens. This most commonly occurs with colors or position, as in:

“She had bright, blue-green eyes.”“His orange-yellow skin looked very unhealthy.”“Look in the top-right corner of the screen.”“The scissors are in the bottom-left drawer.”

More often, adjectives are paired with other parts of speech to create compound nouns, as we shall see.

Adjective + Noun

It is very common to follow an adjective with a noun to create a compound adjective:

“They went on a wild-goose chase.”“I can only find part-time work at the moment.”“The dog is a short-hair breed.”“I know this is a last-minute suggestion, but hear me out.”It is equally common to use nouns before adjectives, as in:“I’d love an ice-cold soda right about now.”“Do you have any sugar-free cookies?”

Quantifiers

When we use a quantifier (a kind of determiner) with a noun to create a compound adjective, we often pair the quantifier with a noun of measurement (length, height, weight, age, or time). For example:

“It is the only 10-storey building in the town.”“We bought a three-foot sandwich to share.”“The eight-pound bag fell to the floor.”“This is a very nice 12-year whiskey.”

When indicating age, we often add the adjective old to the end, as in:

“His 11-year-old niece is coming to visit.”

(Note that we also use this same hyphenation when making a compound noun from an age, as in “My 11-year-old is coming to visit.”)

When we indicate cost, we normally use quantifiers with symbols of currency, such as $, £, €, etc. When the currency is spelled out, however, we must use hyphens to form compound adjectives. Likewise, we use hyphens if the numerals are spelled out as well. For example:

“He bought a $5,000 computer.”“He bought a 5,000-dollar computer.”“He bought a five-thousand-dollar computer.”

We can also use quantifiers with other nouns, too:

“There was an 11-car pileup on the highway.”“The theater has a 400-person capacity.”

Participles

Past and present participles can be paired with adjectives, nouns, and adverbs to form compound adjectives. For example:

With nouns

“Many legends still survive about man-eating whales, but they are simply untrue.”“It’s another record-breaking race for the Kenyan runner.”“There are many mouth-watering items on the menu.”“I won’t spend another night in this dust-ridden house.”“The crocodile-infested waters are particularly dangerous.”

With adjectives

“The table is made from rough-hewn wood.”“My old-fashioned aunt would never approve.”“There are several delicious-sounding things on the menu.”“He has an expensive-looking car.”

With adverbs

“This company runs like a well-oiled machine.”“Our eyes had to adjust in the dimly-lit corridor.”“There are a only few well-running cars to choose from.”“We need some forward-thinking individuals for the job.”“My early-rising brother always baulks at me when I sleep in late.”

Prepositions

Prepositions are also used to form compound adjectives, as in:

“You need an up-to-date computer to run this software.”“I’ve lived in too many run-down apartments.”

Other cases

And

When the conjunction and is used between two words (usually nouns) to join them as a single modifier, we must hyphenate all three words. For example:

“I find her salt-and-pepper hair very attractive.”“These old stone-and-mortar buildings have stood the test of time.”

Proper nouns

We sometimes use a multi-word proper noun to identify a noun as belonging to a particular person or brand. In this case, we do not hyphenate the words. For example:

“Can you play any Elton John songs?”“Did you see the Arthur Miller play on Broadway?”

Pronouns

Occasionally it is possible to use pronouns (especially personal pronouns) to form compound adjectives, though this is not very common. For example:

“It turned into a he-said-she-said situation.”

Adverbs before adjectives

Adverbs are often used in conjunction with adjectives to jointly modify a noun, but they are not really considered to be compound adjectives and they usually do not require a hyphen—the fact that they work together with the adjective is implied. For example:

“It was a very brave thing to do.”“She is an exceptionally talented girl.”

Quiz

1. Which punctuation mark do we use to create compound adjectives?

a) comma
b) semicolon
c) hyphen
d) period

2. Which of the following cannot be used to form compound adjectives?

a) participles
b) verbs
c) nouns
d) prepositions

3. Which of the following are not hyphenated when functioning as compound adjectives?

a) proper nouns
b) adjectives
c) quantifiers
d) pronouns

4. Identify the combination used to create the compound adjective (in bold) in the following sentence:
“It was my well-educated apprentice who saved the day.”

a) adjective + noun
b) adverb + past participle
c) adjective + past participle
d) noun + adjective

 

Speak English Fluently

*Speak English Fluently*

How to Speak English Well: 10 Simple Tips to Extraordinary Fluency                          
1. Accept That English Is a Weird Language

Sometimes you can find patterns in English grammar, but other times English doesn’t make sense at all. For example, why are “read” (reed) and “read” (red) the same word, but pronounced differently depending on whether you’re speaking in the past or present tense? Or why is “mice” the plural of “mouse”, but “houses” is the plural of “house”?

Unfortunately, there are just as many exceptions as there are rules in English. It’s easy to get stuck on learning how to speak English properly, if you try to find a reason for everything.  Sometimes English is weird and unexplainable, so instead the best thing to do is just memorize the strange exceptions and move on.

2. Dive into the Deep End

Studying English for an hour once a week isn’t usually enough to make any real progress. The best way to quickly improve your English is to spend at least a few minutes practicing every day. Immerse yourself as much as possible every time you study, and challenge yourself to listen to, read, and even say things in English that you think might be too difficult for you. If you want to speak English fluently, you need to make it an essential part of your everyday life.

3. Stop Being a Student

The right attitude can make the difference between failure and success. Stop thinking of yourself as someone who is learning English, and start thinking of yourself as someone who speaks English. It’s a small change, but it will make you feel more confident and help you to use the English you already know more effectively.

This also means you need to start thinking in English. If you want to say the word “apple” in English, for example, right now you probably think of the word in your native language first, and then try to think of the correct word in English. Instead, try imagining a picture of an apple, and then just think the English word “apple”. Real fluency happens when you stop mentally translating conversations.

4. Remember the Answer Is in the Question

Listen carefully when someone asks you a question in English and you’ll answer perfectly every time. English questions are like mirrors:

           Does he…..?                       Yes, he does.

           Can she….?                         Yes, she can.

           Is it….?                                  Yes, it is.

If someone asks you a question and you’re not sure how to answer, start by thinking about the words used in the question.  The person has already said most of the words you need to make your answer. Instead of just memorizing English grammar, start to look for patterns like this one. There are a lot of simple ways to “cheat” and make it easier to remember the right words.

5. Get More out of Listening

When most students listen to a native English-speaker, they focus on understanding what all the words mean. This is definitely important, but there is a lot more you can learn from listening. Try listening not just to what the words mean, but to how the person says them. Notice which words the person links together in a sentence, or when they say “ya” instead of “you.” Try to remember these details the next time you speak and your English will begin to sound more natural.

Easier said than done, right? When you listen to native English speakers, it can be hard to understand every single word that is spoken. They might use many words you don’t know, talk too fast or have a strong accent.

A fantastic way to practice careful, active listening is to start using FluentU. FluentU has a huge collection of real world English videos, so you can hear the English that people speak every day.

Once you’re there, how you learn is entirely up to you. While browsing our hundreds of awesome videos, you’ll have the freedom to choose which ones are most relevant to your personal learning experience.

English Videos with FluentU
FluentU App Browse Screen
The more you listen to this authentic English, the better you will understand how to speak English naturally.

And FluentU makes it really easy to watch English videos. How? There are interactive captions. In other words, you can tap on any word to see an image, definition and useful examples.

best English apps
FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.
For example, if you tap on the word “brought”, then you see this:

best English apps
FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.
You can learn any video’s vocabulary with FluentU. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

best English apps
FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.
The coolest part? FluentU knows the vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses your vocabulary to recommend you examples and videos. You have a truly personalized experience.

You can even save all the words you learned and keep track of your progress. Keep practicing with these videos, and you will see great improvement in your ability to understand and speak native level English.

Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet, or download the FluentU app from the iTunes store.

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6. Use It or Lose It

There’s an expression in English: “Use it or lose it,” which basically means if you don’t practice an ability, you might forget it. This idea can be used to help you remember new English vocabulary. The best way to remember a new word is to use it right away so it will stay in your memory.  When you learn a new word, try to say it in sentences a few times over the next week and you’ll never forget it.

7. Learn and Study Phrases

Speaking English fluently means being able to express your thoughts, feelings and ideas. Your goal is to speak English in full sentences, so why not learn it in full sentences? You’ll find that English is more useful in your everyday life if you study whole phrases, rather than just vocabulary and verbs. Start by thinking about phrases that you use frequently in your native language, and then learn how to say them in English.

8. Don’t Study Grammar Too Much

The key to learning a language is finding a balance between studying and practicing. Speaking English fluently isn’t the same as knowing perfect English grammar – even native English-speakers make grammar mistakes! Fluency is about being able to communicate. That’s why sometimes it’s important to put the grammar textbook away, so you can go out and practice those writing, reading, listening and speaking skills in the real world.

9. Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes

Sometimes it can be difficult to put all those rules and words together into a simple sentence. Don’t let the fear of saying something wrong stop you from speaking at all. Even if you think you’re making a mistake, keep speaking anyway. Most of the time, people will understand what you’re trying to say, even if you make a mistake. Plus, the more you speak, the easier it gets, and the more quickly the right words will come to mind.

10. Learn from Everyone

You don’t have to only learn English from textbooks and teachers – anyone who speaks English can help you practice. Imagine how you would feel if someone asked you, in your native language, how to pronounce something? Would you be angry? No! You’d probably be happy to help, just like most English-speakers are happy to help you. If you know any English-speakers, whether it’s a friend or co-worker, take advantage of the opportunity to practice and learn from them.🍀Learn English with Sujith Gladwin🍀

http://www.slideshare.net/janehart/top-100-tools-for-learning-2016

How to run a good Workshop

How to Run a Good Workshop

Workshops are hopeful things. They’re sold on so much promise, but that promise is often dashed as students discover their expert instructor is far from an expert at teaching them how to learn anything.

For years I was a workshop guy: I taught them, I studied them, I even hired people to do them for other companies. I watched many instructors run them and I know the common mistakes. Here’s my best advice on how run a workshop people will love.

Rule #1: A 3 hour lecture is not a workshop

The word workshop implies that work will be done in a shop like atmosphere. This means the center of attention should be on the students doing work, not on the expert gloating in their own ego. A cooking workshop means students cook things. A writing workshop means students write things. If most of your “workshop” is people not actually making anything, you should perhaps call it a class, a lecture, or a mistake.

Most experts are terrible at teaching workshops because they are used to lecturing. A lecture has the spotlight on the speaker, but a workshop has the spotlight on each of the students.

The skills involved in designing workshops are very different for this reason. Instead of crafting a message for people to listen to, a good workshop is crafted to give students the opportunity for guided instruction in doing things. Many workshops are born from lectures, which explains why those workshops are so boring.

Rule #2: The more students you have, the less of a workshop it is

Better workshop instructors make larger groups feel more interactive, but beyond 20 or 25 people the instructor is spread thin. The common approach for large groups is to have people work in teams, as they at least get to be interactive with each other while the instructor is helping other students. In bad cases group work is a copout: the exercises aren’t interesting enough, or students struggle to work with annoying strangers who are too pushy or too passive. In better situations, when the students are motivated and the exercises well designed, it can work well (but likely not as potent as time spent being coached in a small group directly by the expert).

Designing exercises for groups of people to work together is hard. And also demands more testing to get right (see #5).

Rule #3: Work the triad: explain, exercise, debrief

The simplest way to construct a workshop is to think in units of 3.

1. Walkthrough: Show how to do something.

2. Exercise: Have everyone actually try to do that thing (while you wander around and help people one on one).

3. Debrief: lead a discussion of where people got stuck, what parts were fun/hard/frustrating, and what things people learned, or realized they want to learn. Show people’s individual work, rather than your own, to the class to help explain your insights and observations, and as way to invite them to share theirs. Lead a healthy critique session. http://scottberkun.com/…/35-how-to-give-and-receive-critic…/

4. Repeat, with a more challenging thing.

These triads can be of different lengths 45 minutes (15/15/15 or 10/20/15) or longer. Its best to start with small things and build to a larger projects as the workshop goes on. It’s fine for the ratios to change. A more challenging exercise might be 1:3:1 (10 minutes, 30 minutes, 10 minutes).

Take breaks regularly. When people stand up and use their bodies for a minute or two their heart rate goes up, and they get energy back. It’s good for their bodies and minds to move around at least every hour or two. Gadget junkies can get their fix and people with biological needs can get that off their mind. Don’t see this as dead time: see it as taking a breather so everyone can bring more energy into the next exercise. Once every two hours is a good rule of thumb.

Rule #4: Stay out of the center

Workshop students come to learn and they can learn from other students often as much as they can from you. But they start as strangers to each other and you are the social link. Be friendly. Be conversational. Ask students who are good at something to help students who have questions on that thing. Do what you can to make everyone comfortable getting feedback from each other and not just from you (you can design exercises to make this happen naturally). The easy mistake is to center everything on you. This works for TV or lectures. This is a failure in a workshop.

Facilitation is the name of the game. It’s your job to create an environment where everyone is comfortable enough to take risks and learn some things. You should laugh, so they can laugh. You should be passionate so they can be passionate. At times you need to be a teacher, other times you’re game show host facilitating what’s going on, and other times you are quietly out of the way, helping people one on one.

Rule #5: Beta test your exercises

The top complaints workshop instructors hear is often “it was too easy” or “it was way too hard.” Using one exercise for 10 or 20 people guarantees a spectrum of experiences.

It takes a surprising amount of work to develop an idea for an exercise into something specific enough to be interesting, but flexible enough for different people. Since every student in a workshop will have different levels of skill, you want each exercise you use to have built in ways to make it harder or easier.

Great teachers let their students know it’s ok to raise their hand and say “Can you make this more/less challenging?” They’ve prepared wrinkles and twists to handle those cases.

It’s a great idea to beta test your exercises, if not the entire workshop. Do a dry run of half the workshop, for free, with the kind of people the workshop will be for. You’ll learn many little things to fix and adjust that will make a huge difference when you do it for the ‘first’ time.

There are tons of books with workshop exercises. If you poke around you can likely find a book for your discipline that will give you many ideas to start from. Many workshop exercises are horrifically lame, especially ice-breaker type games, but even those can inspire you to think of worthy ones. www.amazon.com/Humorous-Training-Games-Busines…/…/0071357807

Rule #6: Match promises to exercises

Each exercise should be about acquiring a skill, or at least having an experience that helps acquire a skill. List what you believe students will have learned, or experienced, by the time the workshop is over. Use that as your description for the workshop: it’s the promise you are making to students. If your workshop description has a promise than doesn’t map to a specific exercise, either change the description or change your exercises. You’ll find you need to limit your promises, which is good and realistic for everyone.

Rule #7: Always have a whiteboard or flipchart in the room

You never know when you, or a student, might need something big to write on to explain something. In corporate settings you’d be amazed how often the room you are supposed to teach in doesn’t have anything to write on. Digital whiteboards aren’t the same as they often break and take 5 minutes to figure out how to use. Flipcharts are cheap: always make sure there is one available.

Rule #8: The room should look like a workshop when you are done

If its been a true workshop there will be papers, drawings, diagrams, sketches, post-it notes and other made things all over the place. Tape the output of each exercise up on the walls so people can refer to them later. The room should look like a place where a real group of workers had been working on projects all day. Students should leave feeling like they’ve done work, and have some work they can take home with them if they choose.

Rule #9: Build a workshop checklist

There are many things to bring and remember. When you do your beta test of exercises, make notes on all of the equipment you need to bring (e.g. markers, pens, post-it notes, flip-charts, etc.), and what things students need to bring (of which you will have an extra set or two for forgetful students). You never want to have to waste time in the workshop searching or waiting for things. Build a checklist of all the things you need to bring, and put it all in briefcase or box so its ready to go.

Rule #10: Give students the next thing to do after they leave

Students didn’t come for the day: they came to keep learning. Have the next logical exercise or project available on your website, or in whatever materials you give them. Also include a small list of the best books or other resources they’re likely to need.

How to Write a Covering Letter

IMPROVE YOUR PRONUNCIATION BY PITCH HUMMING

English learners can improve their pronunciation by working with pitch humming.

This advice comes from Tamara Jones. She works for the English Language Center at Howard Community College in the American state of Maryland.

English learners, Jones notes, often think that they can be easily understood if all they do is pronounce individual sounds clearly.

However, saying or speaking individual sounds, such as –er or th-, is only one element of pronunciation. Other parts of pronunciation include rhythm, intonation, and word emphasis. Together, they form what we call the 'music of English.'

English learners can become more familiar with the music of English by using pitch humming – mirroring the up and down movement of a speaker's voice.

Word Prominence

English is a language that does not always use grammar to show meaning. In English, speakers use pitch -- high or low sounds -- to give sentences different meanings. Grammatically, two sentences can be identical, but the meaning is completely different.

Consider this example:

Example 1

Person 1: How was breakfast?

Person 2: The coffee was good.

In the example, the second person makes a statement about the coffee that was served with breakfast. The meaning is direct and clear.

Now, listen to a second example. This time, Tamara Jones shows how pitch can change meaning:

Example 2

Person 1: How was breakfast?

Tamara Jones: The COFFEE was good.

The second example carries a much different meaning than the first example; yet both examples are grammatically identical.

Tamara Jones explains:

"Because my pitch change is coming on the word coffee, I'm meaning that probably the rest of the breakfast was not very good. But I don't say that using grammar or word order; instead, I am communicating my meaning through pitch change."

What is pitch humming?

Pitch humming means listening to an English speaker and then repeating the up and down patterns that you hear them make. You do not even need to understand all of the words they are saying, just copy the pitch by humming along with the speaker.

By using pitch humming, Jones says, English learners can begin to recognize the up and down movement of the voice and the words that a speaker emphasizes.

Jones gives an example of what this exercise sounds like:

In another education tips story, we gave you an example of the pitch of a voice from Martha Kolln's book, Rhetorical Grammar.

Here is the sentence:

"One of the most important aspects of your expertise with sentences is your sense of rhythm."

In the sentence, you can hear that some syllables are emphasized, while others are not. Overall, the pitch goes down after important syllables, notably at the end of the sentence.

If you were to hum the pitch movement of the sentence, it might sound like this:

An example from Martha Kolln's Rhetorical Grammar

What can you do?

Jones suggests that English learners start the pitch humming exercise by listening to a brief radio or television broadcast.

Then, the learners should hum along with the speaker, listening for the up and down movement of the voice and emphasized words. In other words, the parts of pronunciation that are not about individual sounds.

Jones adds that English learners do not always need to listen to native English speakers. The learners can also get help by listening to a capable English speaker who has learned English as a second language.

Ideally, she says, the speaker will share the learner's native language. So, for example, an English learner who speaks French as a native language would look for a French speaker who speaks English well. This exercise provides the learner with an example of an attainable model.

Give pitch humming a try, and let us know how it works for you.

I’m John Russell.

John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

pitch – n. the highness or lowness of a sound

hum – v. to sing the notes of a song while keeping your lips closed

mirror – v. to be very similar to (something)

syllable – n. to place emphasis on (something)

emphasize – v. to place emphasis on (something)

attainable – adj. ability to succeed in getting or doing (something)

Just Start Speaking English

Speaking English: 10 Simple Tips for Improving English Speaking Skill

Do you want to learn how to improve your English speaking?

Do you want to speak English well?

For ESL students and English learners, to improve your spoken English, the best thing to do is to talk with a native speaker. However, this is not the only choice we have to be able to master a language like English.

Here we’re going to explain how.

10 Simple Tips for Improving Your English Speaking

Speaking English Tip 1. Practice to think in English

As a rule of thumb, the most important key to English fluency is the ability to think in English, so you need to practice to think in English as native speakers do. Here are some useful tips to help you improve this typical skill.

• Stop the habit of translating between languages (if you have)
• Use an English to English dictionary to look up words
• Try to think in English anywhere, anytime. A student shared with us that she usually walks in the park and trying to describe people around her in English by using as much adjectives as she can. You can do the same, or create your own method to practice thinking English whenever you have “free time” to think.

You’ll notice that when you think in English, it’s easier for you to speak in English.

Speaking English Tip 2. Talk to yourself in English

Whenever you’re at home, you can practice your English with your favorite person: yourself. The following tips would help you to talk to yourself in English.

• Read out loud from your favorite books
• Speak out loud with your own thoughts in English on certain topics (e.g. sports, family)
• Use a mirror to practice as you can see your partner J
• Use a recording device (e.g. your phone) to record what you read/speak (you will be able to hear yourself speaking English and then finding out the pros and cons of your tone, pronunciation and even accent).

The most significant benefit of this method is that you will be more comfortable in speaking English and be aware of your own strengths as well as weaknesses in speaking. Then you can find the right tips to improve the specific weak points in your spoken English.

Speaking English Tip 3. Get a friend or partner to practice

It is always easier to improve your English with a friend or a partner especially if he or she is a native speaker. There are many ways to get to know such individuals online. However, you should be careful when talking or making friends with others on the internet.

It is suggested that you should join a language exchange website (e.g. fluentland.com) to find native language exchange parners – it’s a win-win situation.

Speaking English Tip 4. Read English Books, Newspapers

Reading English Books can open your mind to brilliant new worlds and take you to a new level of English language learning. The key to success is choosing the right book for you. If you do not know where to begin, you should find something that interests you.

Newspapers are also worth reading. Not only you can improve your English but you’ll learn about what’s going on, which can be handy when talking with native speakers.

Speaking English Tip 5. Watch English TV Shows, Movies

Watch TV shows or YouTube videos in English is another great way to help you – use them to improve your fluency. How will you do it?

• Pick a short part of your favorite TV shows
• Repeat what the speakers are saying line by line
• Try to sound just like them (matching the tone, speed and even the accent) – record yourself speaking if you can.
• Imagine that you are trying to learn a new song in English and you want to sing as good as the singer.

It doesn’t matter if you miss a few words, the important thing is to keep speaking. By practicing this method many times, you will notice that your spoken English will sound more like a native.

If you’re tired of reading books, there’s nothing better than learning English through movies and film. This might be the most fun way to learn English. You should choose a film with English subtitles which allow you to check up new words.  I would recommend the “Friends” TV Movie for you, watching this series kills two birds with one stone. It makes you laugh you heart out and will help to improve your English in a natural way.

Speaking English Tip 6. Writing Everyday in English

Writing is a great way of using new vocabulary and getting your head around grammar. Try and write something every day using new words and grammar that you’ve learned. Even if it’s only a few sentences, it’s very important to get into the habit of doing this.

Speaking English Tip 7. Learn with English songs.

Singing along to your favorite English songs is a great method for you to become more fluent. You will get familiar with the sound of English and have better understanding of the English language’s rhythm, tone and beat. Moreover, singing along to your favorite English songs will help you to remember new words easier as you are singing with your emotion.

Speaking English Tip 8. Learn phrases and English Idioms

As a rule of thumb, you should learn word phrases, not just words in English. For example, you can say “how do you feel today?” (the same way with your native language) but an English native speaker might say “how’re you doing?” or “what’s up?” instead. So one of the key to become more fluent in spoken English is to master English phrases. You should learn English phrases, not individual words.

English idioms and slang are also used so often in everyday English, if you don’t know them, it’s almost impossible to understand the context. Learning common everyday English idioms will help you fit in with most situations and your spoken English will sound more like a native. It is recommended to use idiomsandslang.com which is an easy site to learn common idioms and slang in English.

Speaking English Tip 9. The most common sayings in daily English

There are many common phrases which native speakers use in daily specific situations. For example, there are a great variety of ways to thank people in English, such as “you’ve made my day”, “that’s so kind of you”, etc. So, you should learn how to say your most commonly used phrases and words in English. Knowing them in English will help you speak as well in English as you do in your native language.

Speaking English Tip 10. Prepare for specific situations and don’t be afraid of making mistakes

People learn English for many specific reasons. One learns English so he or she can get a job in an English-speaking company. In that case, they should focus on practicing English for an interview. The others might just want to learn English so they can make more friends in America. Then they would need a different kind of English. So the point here is to focus on your purpose of learning English, you will find the suitable preparation methods for your spoken English.

You’ll feel more confident if you’re prepared!

You should also remember that making mistakes when learning English is Good! Making mistakes is a natural part of learning English and they are only bad if you allow them to be, and if you don’t learn by them. If you really want to be able to speak English, you really need to practice speaking English anywhere anytime.

So, don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Practice makes perfect!