Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Tuesday Quick Tip: Battle of the Commonly Misspelled or Misused Words

Good morning, dear students!

I hope your week is off to a good start!

I have a cool graphic for you guys today.  It compares the definitions of words that are commonly spelled incorrectly or used incorrectly in English. Take a look and see if any of these words are words that you confuse sometimes!


This graphic comes from a site called YourDictionary, a site I found recently that I would like to recommend to all of you.  This online dictionary offers dictionary and thesaurus services, and can even show you a word in a quote or example and give you a word list.  Here's an example of a dictionary entry!  This is a great tool to use, because sometimes very formal dictionaries use complex words in the definition of the original word, and the whole definition-seeking process gets really complicated. 

Enjoy the graphic and the new dictionary tool!  And tell me in the comments, which pair of these words is the most easily confused?  Which pair was new for you?

Happy Tuesday and happy studying!

Monday, September 28, 2015

Monday Motivation


Good morning, dear students!  Your Monday Motivation today comes from my childhood (and maybe yours, too!).  What was your favorite movie/cartoon as a child?  My favorites were Pocahontas and Lion King.  Many children's movies and cartoons have inspiring stories, morals, and advice that we hope children absorb as they're entertained.  Just because we're adults now doesn't mean that we can't find inspiration in the simple, beautiful stories of our childhoods!  I hope you have a great start to the week and spend some time thinking about your favorite little motivational quote!

Happy Monday and happy studying!


Friday, September 25, 2015

Chilenglish

Good morning, dear students!

Happy Friday!

I hope you've all had a great week and are ready to begin a relaxing weekend!
Check out this video by Woki Toki-- It's technically an advertisement for EnglishFirst, but there's a lot of truth to it!  (And make sure you come to class next week to avoid any potential embarrassment with English faux pas!)

Happy Friday and Happy Studying!

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Wednesday Reading:

Good morning, dear students!

Today I have a very short article from Buzzfeed about the final episode of Don Francisco's ''Sabado Gigante'', and how U.S. politicians thanked Don Francisco for his decades on the air.  The article introduces several videos, one from Hillary Clinton and another from President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama.

A few vocabulary words that might be new for you are:

Farewell
Household
Launched
Century

Happy Reading (and watching) and happy studying!


Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Tuesday Quick Tip: The Difference Between Less and Fewer


Good morning, dear students!  

Today I want us to take a quick look at the difference between LESS and FEWER.  The two words are often confused (even by native English speakers), but there is a simple rule that will help you remember when to use each one. 


Remember the difference between countable and uncountable nouns?  Here, the rule states that verbs that are countable (and can be plural) must use ''fewer''.  For example:

Mary has fewer friends than Jessica.
You should eat fewer cookies if you're trying to lose weight.
They have fewer students in grade 7 than in grade 8.

Meanwhile, ''Less'' is used for nouns that are uncountable (and thus are never considered plural).  For example:

Next time, you should drink less wine.
I have less patience than she does.
We will take less time on the metro than in traffic.

There is some debate (if you didn't know by now, there are several current debates about English language usage) about what the rule should be.  If you're interested in learning an alternative rule, you can read more here.  


So which should you use for the following nouns:

Tacos
Computers
Knowledge
Potato Salad
Beer
Friends
Animals
English


Leave your answers in the comments and we'll talk about them in class!

Happy Tuesday and Happy Studying!

Monday, September 21, 2015

Monday Motivation


Good morning, dear students! Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend celebrating Fiestas Patrias!  I also hope you're ready to get back to work this week in English classes.  Learning a language can be uncomfortable (and it's definitely outside of most people's comfort zones).  It can also lead to unpredictable results (I never thought as a fourteen year old girl in Spanish class that I would live in Chile one day).

Think about what you want to achieve in English before the end of this year- we have about 15 weeks left!

Happy Monday and happy studying!

Monday, September 14, 2015

Monday Motivation


Good morning, dear students!

I hope you've all had a great weekend! What did you do?  I had a relaxing weekend at home in Santiago and made a fun trip to a winery with a few students (pictures to come!).  Think about the progress you've made in English so far this year.  Are you happy with it? What would you like to change?  Mondays are great days to take a look at your priorities and plans because it's the beginning of the week!  Great goals take time to accomplish, but we all have time, and it's passing us by every second.  Are you using your time wisely and in a way that will help you to accomplish your dreams?

Happy Monday and happy studying!

Friday, September 11, 2015

Happy Friday!

Good morning, dear students, and happy Friday!

I hope you've all had a great week and are ready to relax this weekend!  I found this great article about Spanish speakers and the challenges they face when they learn English, and I thought you could all appreciate it!


Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Get Endorsed for ''English'' skills on Linkedin!





Good morning, dear students!

Something might be missing from your Linkedin!  Has anyone endorsed you for English on your profile?  Would you like to have a native speaker endorse you?  Connect with me on Linkedin!  I'm more than happy to endorse all of my students on their English skills in order to develop your professional profile!  It's always great to grow your network and get others to vouch for your professional abilities!

If you have any questions or would like to request a personal review of your English to add to your page, please just let me know in the comments, an e-mail, or in our next class!

Happy Thursday and happy studying!


Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Experiences and Opportunities!


Good morning, dear students!

I just wanted to leave you a quick post with a few interesting opportunities regarding travels or studies abroad and other interesting opportunities to immerse yourself in English!

1) TOEFL:  If you've been thinking about taking the TOEFL, what are you waiting for?  It's an intense test and requires several months of preparation, but a high TOEFL score looks great on your CV and Linkedin, and it's usually one of the first steps to applying to an English-speaking University.  Click here to get more information about TOEFL test dates in Santiago, Chile to begin setting your goals!

2) Study Abroad:  Are you interested in studying English in another country to experience immersion, but can't dedicate an entire semester to a university program?  There are many options available around the world to visit for short English courses that also provide you with the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in English-- a great experience that's hard to create in Chile! There are also many courses at universities around the world that allow you to study for one or more semesters that focus purely on English.  The options are almost endless!  Check out programs for Edinburgh, Vancouver, Texas, and Maryland.  A simply google search will find you hundreds of other options, and of course I'm always more than happy to help you find a program abroad that fits your needs!

3) Language Exchange:  Are you limited to staying in Santiago but still want to gain experience speaking to Gringos in English?  This language exchange group is a great opportunity to take advantage of!  Go, get paired with a Gring@, and spend 50% of your time speaking with them in Spanish and 50% of the time speaking with them in English.  Everyone wins, and it's always hosted in a bar in case you need a little liquid courage (i.e. alcohol).  Sign up here!

Did you see any opportunities that interest you?  I hope you did!  If this list didn't have anything interesting for you but you're still interested in seeking out a program or activity to practice English more, let me know in the comments or in our next class.  I'm more than happy to work with all of my students to help them find new ways to experience English!

Happy Wednesday and happy studying!

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Tuesday Quick Tip: For vs. Since

Good morning, dear students!

Today I have a little graphic to show you.  It's from Best British School (which has a great facebook page to follow, by the way).

The difference between ''For'' and ''Since'' is very big but can feel very tricky until you know the rules.  These two words are really important when using the Present and Past Perfect, and the Present and Past Perfect Progressive tenses.

Check out the graphic below for more information:


So remember that ''For'' is used to talk about an amount of time:
  • I have lived in Chile for three years.
  • I have been teaching English for three years. 
  • I have been a fan of Beyonce for years!
And remember that ''Since'' is used to talk about an action from it's starting point:
  • I have lived in Chile since November 2012.
  • I have been teaching English since November 2012. 
  • I have been a fan of Beyonce since I was 12 years old!
Any questions?  Tell me in the comments how long you've been studying English!  Try saying it both ways, with ''for'' and ''since''.  If you have any questions, leave them in comments or bring them with you to your next class!

Happy Tuesday and happy studying!


 

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Wednesday Reading: Charts Show How Hurricane Katrina Changed New Orleans

Good morning, dear students!

Today I have a really great article from National Geographic.  It includes data charts to show how much the city of New Orleans has changed after the damage from Hurricane Katrina ten years ago.

Check out the article here, and tell me what you think!

Here's some vocabulary that might be new for you:

Makeup
Overhauled
Arguably
Note:  A charter school is a colegio subvencionado.
Enrolled
Flooding
Note:  A startup is a new, small business or company.


What other new words did you learn in this article?  Was any of the data surprising to you?  Let me know what you think in the comments!

Happy Wednesday and happy studying!

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Tuesday Quick Tip: Embarassing False Cognates (and how to avoid their tricks)




Good afternoon, dear students!

Today I have a series of images for you to check out to help you learn about false cognates.  What’s a false cognate? 

Well first, what’s a cognate? 
A cognate is a word that looks very similar to another word in another language, and they mean the same thing.  For example, Additional and Adicional are cognates of English and Spanish.  There are (fortunately) a lot of cognates between these two languages.  However, there are a few that are ‘’False Cognates’’—words that look like cognates, but in reality mean very different things.

False Cognates are tricky.  If you use one that you think is a true cognate, people will misunderstand what you are trying to say.  Sometimes they can lead to embarassing mistakes.  Like REALLY embarassing. 

Because I love you all so much, today’s mini-lesson is just on embarassing false cognates and how to avoid using them incorrectly.  Most of them are embarassing because they imply some type of sex joke (it’s shocking, I know).



Let’s take a look!






Preservativo – Preservative
A preservativo is a condom in English.  A preservative is a conservante, something used in foods to make them last longer.  VERY.IMPORTANT.DIFFERENCE.
Preservativo: Condom
Preservative:  Conservante





Embarazada—Embarrassed
You are going to be super embarrassed if you use this one incorrectly.  Embarrassed is Avergonzado;  Embarazada is pregnant.
Embarrassed:  Avergonzado;  Embarrassment:  verguenza

Embarazada:  Pregnant;  Embarazo:  Pregnancy





Molestar—Molest
This is a reaaaalllly important mistake to avoid.
In Spanish, you use ‘’molestar’’ for annoy or bother.  In English,  to molest is to touch someone in a sexual manner without their consent.  It’s a serious crime, so it’s important to be careful not to accuse someone of a sexual assault when you’re trying to communicate how much they are annoying you or bothering you by talking on the phone too loudly.
Molestar—to Annoy, to Bother
Molest— Abusar sexualmente


Have you ever used one of these false cognates incorrectly?  I have!  I hope that you remember to laugh at your mistakes-- it's super normal to say crazy things while you're learning your second or third language, but it's also important to learn from them and try not to commit the same mistake again. 

Happy Tuesday and happy studying!