Savvy Book Recommendations for New English Teachers Going Abroad
“No art or learning is to be pursued halfheartedly…and any art worth learning will certainly reward more or less generously the effort made to study it.” —Murasaki Shikibu (c. 973-1014), Japanese author, The Tale of Genji Looking for some book recommendations to prepare for your first E… The post Savvy Book Recommendations for New English Teachers Going...
Read MoreIs “They” Okay? Is it okay to use “they” for a singular pronoun of unknown gender?
‘Chandos’ Portrait of Shakespeare in the National Portrait Gallery, London “There’s not a man I meet but doth salute me As if I were their well-acquainted friend.” Shakespeare’s A Comedy of Errors, Act IV, Scene 3: William Shakespeare (1564-1616), British playwright How acceptable is it … The post Is “They” Okay? Is it okay to use...
Read MoreTeaching Matters: Prefix/Suffix Study
Embed from Getty Images “First of all, there was a volcano of words, an eruption of words that Shakespeare had never used before that had never been used in the English language before. It’s astonishing. It pours out of him.” Stephen Jay Greenblatt, (1943 – ) American literary his… The post Teaching Matters: Prefix/Suffix Study appeared first on...
Read MoreTeaching Matters: Prefix/Suffix Study
Embed from Getty Images “First of all, there was a volcano of words, an eruption of words that Shakespeare had never used before that had never been used in the English language before. It’s astonishing. It pours out of him.” Stephen Jay Greenblatt, (1943 – ) American literary historian Prefixes and suffixes remain essential structural components in the English language....
Read MoreContext Matters with Conversation Idioms
“Confidence contributes more to conversation than wit.” ~Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680), French writer Conversation styles are wonderfully varied. Just as one size never truly fits all, one conversational approach may not be appropriate depending on the situation. Fortunately, in the English language there are myriad idioms we use to distinguish these different modes...
Read MoreTeaching Tips: Discussing Idioms in the Classroom
“Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands, and goes to work.” ~Carl Sandberg (1878-1967), American poet and historian Idioms, or phrases that have their own meaning relative to their specific conjunction of words, are a unique feature of language that can be difficult for beginners to make sense of. Here are some common examples of American idioms: You...
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