English as a second language
Aug 8th , 2012
Word Wednesday: English language fun facts!
We’ve combined some English fun facts that have nothing to do with any rules of grammar, or spelling. We hope you may find them interesting and entertaining! 1. There was no punctuation until the 15th century! 2. In England, in the … Continue reading
Posted in Archive, English as a second language, English Language, English learning, Word Wednsday
Jul 22nd , 2012
Why is grammar important while job hunting?
Grammar is a key element in how you present yourself. It is essential if you want anyone to take what you are saying seriously. When it comes to job hunting, correct grammar, punctuation and capitalization are even more important. Although your education … Continue reading
Posted in Archive, English as a second language, English Language, English writing, Learning disability, Proofreading
Jul 12th , 2012
Get to know your buffalo!
Hard to believe, but this sentence uses various meanings and parts of speech for the term “buffalo” , making it a valid sentence: 1. “Buffalo” is a city in New York, 2. ”buffalo” can be used both as singular and plural term for bison, … Continue reading
Posted in Archive, English as a second language, English Language, English learning, Grammar
Jul 2nd , 2012
Manic Monday
So what is the difference between “Flesh out” and “Flush out” and idea? To “flesh out” is to take the parts given and figure out how to put them together. as the Urban Dictionary explains, the term comes from the artworld, … Continue reading
Posted in English as a second language, English Language, English learning, English writing, Grammar, Manic Monday, Quotes
Jul 4th , 2011
What is up with English spelling?!
Ever wondered why you ‘speak’ but make a ‘speech’? Why the ‘t’ is doubled in ‘letter’? And why on earth do we need the ‘e’ at the end words like ‘have’ and ‘gone’? English spelling is known for being messed … Continue reading
Posted in Archive, English as a second language, English learning, Proofreading, Spelling | Tagged english spelling
Jun 22nd , 2011
Are you part of the English Mania?
If you are reading these lines then your English language skills are most likely quite good. You might be a native English speaker or someone who speaks English as a second language or as a foreign language. You might be … Continue reading
Posted in English as a second language, English learning | Tagged English language, mania
Jan 17th , 2011
Teaching Grammar for ESL
When I started teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) I was told to incorporate grammar into my lessons, rather than teach it separately. However, after teaching for a while, I realized that adult ESL students come from school systems that tend to teach grammar separately. Having always learned this way, ESL students expect to study grammar in isolation from other aspects of the language. They are used to such an approach, and it gives them a feeling of accomplishment.
Now, in my lesson plans, I teach grammar as a separate topic. I begin by presenting a specific grammar topic – for example, irregular past tense verbs – and then use these verbs in context, in games, in conversational activities and so on. Teaching this way is important, because grammar lessons tend to be very dry otherwise.
These introductions last no more than 30 minutes. Any more than that, and people begin to lose interest. Then, I embed this grammar lesson into a broader class lesson.
After finishing with my grammar lesson (in this case, irregular past tense verbs), I move on to cover the four general skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. While teaching these, I integrate the grammar lesson that the class has just learned.
So, for a reading passage, I will choose a story told in the past tense – or a story told in the present tense, which I will then ask the students to change to past tense. I will assign a writing exercise like: ‘What did you do last weekend’? For speaking, I will ask students what they did in their home country. And for a listening exercise, I will ask them to interview another student, and then report it to the class.
Another way to do this is to choose a single topic for the entire lesson, both grammar and the four skills. For example, a topic could be something like jobs or job interviews. If the grammar lesson of the day is irregular past tense verbs, we can discuss the students’ past job experience, their past job responsibilities and so on. They can conduct mock job interviews with each other (exercising their speaking and listening skills), fill out a job application (writing) and go over wanted ads in the newspaper (reading).
In this way, they will practice the grammar point, learn the relevant and get plenty of practice in the grammar and related vocabulary to the topic. If I were to teach English online, the steps would be very similar.
Posted in English as a second language | Tagged English as a Second Language, ESL, Grammar
Jan 9th , 2011
ESL – English as a Second Language
ESL, or English second language, refers to people, using or learning English, whose native tongue is different. Teaching English as a second language - ESL, is something that requires a lot of patience and knowledge. The tasks facing the ESL teacher are many. English second language students need to practice both writing and speaking skills and the ESL teacher is required to find ways in which students can practice and polish their English. But as some classes will have as many as twenty or even thirty ESL students, teaching English as a second language while paying attention to the specific needs of each student is not always simple.
If you think of thirty English second language students sitting in the same class, each one with specific learning needs, you may reach the conclusion that assisting each and every one of them is virtually impossible. Some ESL students may have more difficulties with grammar while others may have severe spelling mistakes. Some ESL students may find it very difficult to express themselves coherently while speaking, others will have pronunciation problems.
In order to find ways to assist each and every one of your ESL students, sometimes during a short period of time, you need the right assistive technology tools.
Assistive technology can help you to pay close attention to the specific learning process of each and every one of your English second language students. While teaching English as a second language, you can have your students work with an automatic grammar and spelling correction tool. The grammar and spelling correction tool will also monitor all the errors each one of your students is making. Then, it will present you with personal reports, detailing the strengths and weaknesses of each one of your students.
It would take the English as a second language teacher many hours to go over a written assignment and analyze her student’s mistakes. By receiving computerized reports that present frequent errors and analyze them, the ESL teacher can determine immediately what to recommend her students in order to further advance their learning process. The students may also use the online correction grammar and spelling tool outside of the classroom and install it on their home computer. That way, they can practice and self improve out of the classroom to make sure the English language becomes a part of their day to day lives.
Posted in English as a second language | Tagged English as a Second Language, ESL
Apr 1st , 2010
Presenting With Confidence
In today’s competitive education and business worlds the need for outstanding presentations has become a staple for both professionals and students. Whether it’s for a marketing update to the top clients or a presentation on The Great Gatsby in English class, the use of PowerPoint has become more prevalent than ever. Understanding the importance of flawless presentations, Ginger has just released a new software update enabling the correction of spelling, grammar, and misused words with MS-PowerPoint.
Shown below Ginger correcting within MS-PowerPoint.
Working with Ginger Software while using MS-PowerPoint is no different than other Ginger supported applications. Simply click F2 and watch as Ginger corrects your text in a single click! To see other screen images of Ginger Software working with other supported applications, like MS-Word, MS-Outlook, & Internet Explorer please visit the Ginger Software Facebook Page.
In the most recent software upgrade, Ginger launched an awaited new feature; the ability to edit text while in the Ginger toolbar. This new feature, shown below, allows users to make simple changes to their sentence such as pluralizing objects, as well as more advanced edits like continuing a sentence. To edit within the Ginger Toolbar simply click on the pencil highlighted below, adjacent to the approve button.
A fun fact about this new feature is that it was actually a customer suggestion our developers brought to life. Remember that the Ginger Team is always eager to hear your suggestions to continuously improve upon the Ginger platform and developing solutions that fit your needs. To submit a new feature, please visit the Contact US page found on www.gingersoftware.com
Posted in English as a second language