Pronunciation and Spelling with I Love Lucy

English spelling and pronunciation are not always identical.

Did you know there are eight (EIGHT!) ways to pronounce the sound of "ough"?

Here are some examples from I Love Lucy.

Guide To Christmas Week

 

How To Deal With Negative Feedback, By An Expert

 

Benji, the class mascot, after a visit to the farm

This is what I do if I get negative feedback (very rare!)

Learn English with Joey

You should always do your homework.

Click here to find out why...

Learn English with Joey

Tuesday? Thursday? Joey Explains...

Joey teaches Chandler how to remember the difference between Tuesday and Thursday.

Dumb Ways to Die

One of my students showed me this video in class. She said her very young son got back from school one day and he was singing something over and over again. He couldn't explain, but she understood the words, so she looked on the internet and found the song. One day later, she was singing the song, too. Today, it was me...

This is the video. It was made by Metro Trains in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, to promote safety. Who said Australians don't have a sense of humour?

It is an example of learning by example. As you will see, learning by doing is definitely not recommended in this case!

alternate link to video

The English Elephant

The elephant in the room is an expression which means “a big problem everybody can see, but nobody talks about”.

In international companies everywhere, the elephant is not African or Indian, it’s English.


You want a promotion? English. You want to work when others are fired? English. You have an interview? English.

People who learn English deserve respect. It’s difficult. It takes a long time. And sometimes the reality stops students. They worry that they don’t have time, that it’s too difficult, that they don't have the discipline

Maybe that's why so many students start and stop and start... and stop again.

Does that sound like someone you know?

There is a solution and the students who find it are the students who learn the best, are the most fluent, pass the exams, get the promotions, and have great interviews in English.

You can find the solution, too, in How To Eat An Elephant, a text about extreme challenges in our course book English File Upper Intermediate:

In Air Force survival school, they ask cadets “How would you eat an elephant?” About 50% answer correctly: one bite at a time.

And that is how you eat the English Elephant, one word at a time.

Learn 5 to 10 words a day, 50 words a week and in less than one year, you can have an advanced level vocabulary. That's a big step towards the English you want. All in the time it takes to brush your teeth.

It's impossible!

No, it’s not. Research in 2009 (Milton and Alexiou) showed that advanced students typically know 3750-4500 words.

So, on your to do list today?

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Some helpful links about vocabulary

• The 3000 Most Important Words In English
• How To Memorize Vocabulary
• The Wordbank
• All About Elephants

Back To The Future Tense

These tenses will be helpful... if you have a time machine. Enjoy the show !!

Howard
Wait, hold on. Pause.

[music stops]

Howard
Something doesn’t make sense. Look. In 2015 Biff steals the Sports Almanac and takes the time machine back to 1955 to give it to his younger self. But as soon as he does that he changes the future, so the 2015 he returns to would be a different 2015. Not the 2015 that Marty and Doc were in.

Leonard
This is Hot Tub Time Machine all over again. Look. If future Biff goes back to 2015 right after he gives young Biff the Almanac, he could get back to the 2015 with Marty and Doc in it. Because it wasn’t until his 21st birthday that 1955 Biff placed his first bet.

Sheldon
But whoa, whoa. Is placed right?

Leonard
What do you mean?

Sheldon
Is placed the right tense for something that would’ve happened in the future of a past that was affected by something from the future?

Leonard
[thinks] Had will have placed?

Sheldon
That’s my boy.

Leonard
OK. So, it wasn’t until his 21st birthday that Biff had will have placed his first bet and made his millions. That’s when he alters the timeline.

Sheldon
But he had will haven’t placed it.

Howard
What?

Sheldon
Unlike Hot Tub Time Machine, this couldn’t be more simple. [laugh track] When Biff gets the Almanac in 1955, the alternate future he creates isn’t the one in which Marty and Doc Brown ever used the time machine to travel to 2015. Therefore, in the new timeline, Marty and Doc never brought the time machine.

Leonard
Wait, wait, wait. Is brought right?

Sheldon
[thinks] Marty and Doc never had have had brought?

Leonard
I don’t know, you did it to me.

Sheldon
I’m going with it. Marty and Doc never had have had brought the time machine to 2015. That means 2015 Biff could also not had have had brought the Almanac to 1955 Biff. Therefore, the timeline in which 1955 Biff gets the Almanac is also the timeline in which 1955 Biff never gets the Almanac and not just never gets: never have, never hasn’t, never had have hasn’t.

Raj

He’s right.

Links

• Focus on the three most important ways to talk about the future
• Watch a video and identify five ways to talk about the future
• Learn more at www.edufind.com/english-grammar/future
• Print or download an exercise to practice the future tenses

The Candidate

All job interviews are the same?
Same standard questions? Same prepared answers? Maybe not ...

Welcome to the world of Extreme Interviews and Heinekin's

x

Interview in English? Is it possible?

Interview in English? Is it possible? Yes, if you prepare well ... starting now! Listen to an interview from the BBC Learning English At Work series and discover how the candidate answers some surprising questions. For each episode, first read the introduction, paying attention to the useful language and the question. At the end, you can see a pdf of the episode and the answer to the question.

Part One : The Interview Tip Top Trading: the fastest-growing company in the plastic fruit sector, and Anna desperately wants to be a part of it. Her job interview for a position in sales is going to be a challenge.

Useful language for interviews A good example that comes to mind … I'm particularly proud of …  Timekeeping is important to me. 1) What was Anna's role in the university debating society? Listen to Part One >>

Part Two : The Interruption Anna's job interview continues. But with all the pressure and stress, she stops, unable to find the right word in English.

Useful language for structuring answers Firstly, this job is ... Secondly, ... Above all, the reason I  ... 2) What word is Anna trying to remember that means enthusiastic and wanting very much to succeed? Listen to Part Two >>

Part Three : The Crisis Denise explains why she's in a panic and Paul is not happy. Will Anna be able to help resolve the crisis?

Useful language for suggestions Can I make a suggestion? Why don't you try ... ? Have you tried ... ? Maybe I could ... ? How about  ... ? I have an idea! 3) Why was the memory stick wet? Listen to Part Three >>

Part One: The Interview   Part Two : The Interruption   Part Three : The Crisis More options Extreme Interviews Top 10 Rules For Every Interview Job Interview Tips - You're Hired! Top 10 Oddball Questions Visit the BBC Learning English at Work website

Modern Lessons

Translated by Brooks from Outras do Analista do Bagé by Luis Fernando Veríssimo, a Brazilian writer.

It is no longer possible to teach a foreign language, such as French or English, by old-fashioned methods.

Students today want movement, action, stimulation. They don't want French in a book. And there is no longer any reason to separate the languages. The modern student must be prepared to pass from English to French without the slightest excuse me or s'il vous plait.

I have therefore prepared a simultaneous internet course in French and English that will make the teaching of these two idioms more attractive to the students of today.

I realise that the purists will criticise my spelling, but purists are pre-electronic. What's important is not grammar, it's communication, right? Let's go to the first lesson. It is called...

A typical Indian Call Center?

New World Order

In Company Intermediate Unit 9 focuses on life and work in the BRIC countries, Brazil, Russia, India and China. India, of course, is famous for Call Centers. Apparently, they come in different sizes.....

Joey Speaks French

Links

• Modern Lessons

You must be a ... !

Instant English!

     

Click on the postcard for confirmation of what everybody knows.

We speak better after some drinks (but not too many...).

Quiz

1. What is the size in ml of one English pint?
2. How many pints do English people drink every day?
3. What is the difference between Chopp and beer?
4. What is the meaning of "Pub"?

Check your answers below.

If you get 4/4, you deserve a beer!

I would like to buy a hamburger

For his investigation, Inspector Clouseau will need a perfect English accent, so he takes a class with the greatest Accent Coach in the world...



More options

• The letter H
• BBC pronunciation : H

Test your meeting IQ

Try this test to discover your meeting IQ.  Knowing the answers will help you plan and lead your next meeting.

1. When is a good time for a meeting?
	Always when your group needs to share information.
	When a meeting is the best way to achieve your objective.
	At least once each day.
	Never. Meetings are always a waste of time.
2. What is your objective and how do you find it?
	Look for the objective, the purpose, the basic reason for the meeting.
	If the meetings are routine, it is not necessary to identify an objective.
	As the meeting starts, decide as a group what the objective of the meeting is.
	Meeting objective? What meeting objective?
3. Should meetings be on a regular basis?
	Yes. Regular meetings are the only way for a group to communicate effectively.
	Yes, but routine meetings need a clearly defined objective and each meeting must contribute to this objective.
	No. Meetings should never be on a regular basis.
	Yes. Is there a better way to learn office gossip?
4. Who should participate?
	Anyone who wants to participate. The more the better!
	Anyone who is connected with the topic of the meeting. After all, we wouldn't want to exclude anyone.
	Those who can influence the meeting objective.
	Those who are sociable, funny and make good conversation.
5. What should a good agenda include?
	The objective of the meeting, the issues to be discussed, the time the meeting will begin and end, the location, the participants involved and what is expected of the participants in terms of preparation before the meeting.
	The objective of the meeting, the issues to be discussed, the time the meeting will begin and end, the location and the participants involved.
	The issues to be discussed, the time the meeting will begin and end, the location, the participants involved and what is expected of the participants in terms of preparation before the meeting.
	The types of food and drinks that will be served. This is the most interesting aspect of the meeting.
6. Is it necessary for the agenda to be distributed before a meeting?
	Yes. The agenda should be distributed one week before the meeting. This gives participants enough time to prepare for the meeting.
	Yes. The agenda should be distributed one day before the meeting. This gives participants time to prepare for the meeting discussion.
	No. Distributing the agenda as participants enter the meeting is sufficient.
	No. What’'s the point? We never follow the meeting agenda anyway.
7. Is it appropriate to hold a meeting in a restaurant?
	Yes. But only if you’'re in the food business.
	No. Meetings are most productive when they occur at the office.
	Yes. If the objective is to create a social as well as a business relationship.
	No. Food puts people to sleep.
8. How can you keep a meeting from running late?
	Buy a very big alarm clock for your meeting room. When the alarm rings, the meeting’ is over.
	Make each participant contribute a dollar for each minute the meeting continues after the finish time.
	Set a time limit in advance and stay with it!
	It’'s impossible. Your meetings run late so often that you don’t know what "on time" means anymore.
9. When do you end a meeting?
	Finish the meeting only when it is ten minutes after the official finish time.
	Always finish the meeting when the objective is completed.
	When every person in the room is asleep.
	When all the donuts and coffee are finished.
10. How can you evaluate the success of your meeting?
	At the end of the meeting, how many of the agenda items were discussed? The more items covered, the more successful the meeting.
	To get an accurate picture of the effectiveness, ask participants for their written opinions.
	If the meeting finishes on time, the meeting was successful.
	How many people are still awake in the room? The more open eyes, the more successful the meeting.

Analyse your meeting IQ

0 - 4 points
Your meeting knowledge needs some attention. Visit meeting basics at www.effectivemeetings.com.

5 - 7 points
Your meeting knowledge is OK. To learn about planning for effective meetings and the technology to help you, visit Meeting Planning and Technology at www.effectivemeetings.com.

8 -10 points
You have good meeting IQ. Learn more from the Meeting Guru at www.effectivemeetings.com by reading about the meeting dilemmas he’s solved.

Why not have a Meeting?

Meetings are a great way to improve fluency because normally everybody speaks fast and without thinking.

But there are other benefits...