Learn English as a Second Language for Maximum Success
November 12, 2008
Pronunciation Practice
Practice the pairs and sentences below for better pronunciation.
ill-fill
oh-foe
ox-fox
ale-fail
shower-hour
The ill man cannot fill the drill.
Oh! The foe is fierce
The ox and the fox are in the pen.
Drink ale without fail.
Don’t shower for an hour.
Regards,
Barbara92106
Learn English as a Second Language with Coordinators
November 12, 2008
All writers should be checking their sentences now to make sure that their writing is perfect. Please get some practice at www.languagecommunicator.com and further information at info@languagecommunicator.com. The last post listed the subordinating conjunctions that often lead to sentence fragments. Coordinating conjunctions such as and, but, or can also lead to incomplete sentences. These conjunctions are joining words and these are usually used to connect words or groups of words that are equal. Example: The boy ran and the girl walked. Look at the sentence and you will see that the groups of words on either side of and are equal. Each side contains a subject and a verb. On either side of the word and are enough words for a complete sentence. The boy ran. The girl walked. To show the connection between the two, they are joined by and. Rarely should a writer begin a sentence with and. Those writers with great skill who want to write creatively might use and at the beginning of sentence but they are creative writers. And the boy walked. The sentence still contains the ingredients of a complete sentence but once and is placed in the sentence some words or groups of words should be connected. So unless you are a creative writer making the big bucks for your creativity, don’t use and at the beginning of a sentence.
Regards,
Barbara92106
Learn English as a Second Language without Fragments
November 11, 2008
Post #20
Language Communicator can help writers practice complete sentences while helping them with pronunciation as well. The address www.languagecommunicator.com and further information available from the webmaster as info@languagecommunicator.com. Sentence fragments trouble many writers and many times careful revision can help writers eliminate these troublesome group of words. Subordinating conjunctions are often a clue that the group of words is a fragment rather than a complete sentence. In the last post, the example sentence began with although and this is one of the conjunctions that often lead to sentence fragments. Some other words to look for in this category include after, before, while, when, because, wherever, since and several others. Make sure that these subordinating conjunctions that begin subordinate clauses have an independent clause for completion of the sentence.
Regards,
Barbara92106
Learn English as a Second Language without Beating Around the Bush
November 11, 2008
Idiom for the Day
……beat around the bush..……
If you beat around the bush, you do not get straight to the point of your conversation or speech. Your boss might beat around the bush if you ask for a raise and he or she does not want to disappoint you, but the raise is beyond the budget. Your mother might beat around the bush is your ask to have friends over for a party. Anyone who does not answer a question directly is beating around the bush.
Example: My boss usually beats around the bush in our meetings.
Learn English as a Second Language Unless You Are Infirm
November 11, 2008
Synonyms for the Day
Some new synonyms for the day – sick, ill, infirm
Examples: A sick worker can infect the entire office.
I hate to miss school but I was really ill.
My grandmother was never infirm until she was over eighty years old.
Regards,
Barbara92106www.languagecommunicator.com
Learn English as a Second Language and Speak with Sparkle
November 11, 2008
Pronunciation Practice
Practice the pairs and sentences below for better pronunciation.
in-fin
air-fair
oar-four
ace-face
eat-feet
The fin is in the bedroom.
The air is fair today.
The four will oar in the race.
His face showed shock at the ace.
He will eat on his feet.
Regards,
Barbara92106
Learn English as a Second Language with Careful Revision
November 11, 2008
Complete sentences are the goal of every writer and as noted in the last post, writers can get some great practice at www.languagecommunicator.com. Further information is available at info@languagecommunicator.com. The two errors most common are sentence fragments and run-on sentences. This post will focus on sentence fragments and hopefully writers will pay careful attention to their writing to eliminate these problems. Sentence fragments are punctuated as sentences with the visual signs – a capital letter at the beginning and a period at the end. The sentence fragment usually has those visual signs and a subject and a verb. These errors are usually caused by the absence of one complete thought. Let’s look at some examples of sentence fragments. Although he loved his dog. In this group of words, there are the visual signs of a capital letter at the beginning and a period at the end. There is a noun and a verb used as a subject and predicate. Unfortunately, this is not a complete sentence because it is not a complete thought. Something is missing. This is a perfect example of a subordinate clause punctuated as if it were a sentence. The writer needs to complete the thought with an independent clause. Although he loved his dog, he had to give it to his brother. Check your sentences to make sure you don’t have a dependent clause punctuated as a sentence.
Regards,
Barbara92106
Learn English as a Second Language by Becoming a Bookworm
November 10, 2008
Idiom for the Day
……bookworm..……
A bookworm is someone who loves to read and usually spends a good portion of their waking hours reading a book. Most bookworms are special for their teachers and parents who often urge other students to follow the example of the bookworm.
Example: Most of the bookworms in our class get good grades.
Regards,
Barbara92106
Learn English as a Second Language and Reap the Rewards
November 10, 2008
Synonyms for the Day
Some new synonyms for the day – dirty, filthy, grubby
Examples: His dirty shirt was unacceptable for a job interview.
My mother was really annoyed because my filthy dog ruined her carpet.
Get your grubby hands off of my clean tablecloth
Regards,
Barbara92106www.languagecommunicator.com
Learn English as a Second Language to Communicate Worldwide
November 9, 2008
Pronunciation Practice
Practice the pairs and sentences below for better pronunciation.
eye-pie
eel-peel
air-chair
arm-farm
eel-feel
They’ve got their eye on a pie.
The eel ate the peel.
Feel the air in the chair.
She broke her arm on the farm.
The swimmer feels an eel in the pool.
Regards,
Barbara92106
