Between life and death: Zombie nouns privilege pretentious vocabulary at the expense of simple clarity
The nominalization of nouns creates abstract, dry and often misleading language “Simplicity is the glory of expression.” -Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poet Sometimes, it’s fun to play with the English language and transform its adjectives, adverbs and nouns into more complex-sounding words. Playing with word forms can both emphasize a key concept and add an academic tone. Like many other...
Read MoreVideotaping Helps ESL Students Recognize Their Good Mistakes – and Learn from Them!
How do you help your ESL students recognize their errors in speaking English? What techniques do you use to make their mistakes “psychologically real” to them? One technique I’ve found effective may seem rather counter-intuitive: encourage them! This unorthodox teaching idea has recently attracted some welcome attention.. Larry Ferlazzo, the award-winning ESL blogger and author...
Read MoreWhat will I learn today?
Consider me psyched. I’m going to a huge conference of ELT, EFL, and ESL professionals today in Vietnam’s White Palace. The 4th-annual VUS-TESOL conference program is full, and I expect to hear many more teaching tips for working with Vietnamese students who want to learn English, but are often reluctant to speak. I’m particularly interested in hearing about successful...
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