Minggu, 04 November 2018

November 04, 2018 -

How to Study Vocabulary Words?

Do you want to know how to study vocabulary words? First, get a list of them. A vocabulary word list is a group of words that belong to a certain subject.

Here are some examples:

A list of common verbs (be, go, do, have, etc.)

A list of weather adjectives (rainy, sunny, stormy, etc.)

A list of family nouns (mother, father, sister, brother, uncle, etc.)

You can visit Vocabulary Websites (Word Lists) section for some useful word lists. You can also take advantage of our illustrated lessons with word lists for different topics and situations. For example: restaurant vocabulary, airport vocabulary, wedding vocabulary, sports vocabulary, banking vocabulary, etc.: English Vocabulary Word Lists (Illustrated).

Now, how do you study these word lists? There are a few things you can do:

1. Make up example sentences with each word on the list.

Just reading the word or memorizing it is not enough, at least not in most cases. But using the new word in sentences of your own can really take you one giant step forward. Try it yourself, and see the results.

For example, let's say you are learning the word "resign" (which means "to leave your job"). You can make up some example sentences:

"I am sorry, but I must resign."

"The new manager is already leaving, he resigned yesterday."

"She loves her job and she will never resign."

2. Use the words in a story.

Take the list of words and write a short story with all of them. The story doesn't even have to make perfect sense. Even better – make it ridiculous! This can actually be fun. Check out the following example.

Let's say you are studying some verbs beginning with the letter E:

earn, eat, end, enjoy, and estimate.

You can write a short story such as this:

"Andy was eating dinner and enjoying a quiet evening when he started thinking about his future. He estimated the amount of money he must earn. This ended his enjoyment."

3. Write the words on flashcards and practice daily.

Vocabulary flashcards are special cards that you use to memorize data. They are called that way because the cards are flashed (shown quickly) to the learner. There are several things you can have on a flashcard: a word in English, a word in your own language, a photo or an illustration.

For example, you can prepare a set of cards with "food words". Write the English word on one side of the card, and on the other side put a picture, or write the translation in your own language.

Here are two examples of food flashcards (the front side of the card is on the left, and the back side of the card is on the right): Vocabulary flashcards are good tools to use while learning a new language. The bonus in using them is that you turn it into a game.

4. Use dictations to help you memorize spelling.

Make a dictation. You can do it all by yourself. Simply follow this process: Write the words (usually no more than ten at once) on a piece of paper. Use two columns: one for English, and one for the translation in your language. Fold in the piece of paper so that you can only see the translation in your own language.

Take another piece of paper and write the English words that match the translated words. Don't look at the answers! The point is remembering by heart.

When finished, compare the English words you have just written to the ones on the original paper. At first, you might not do so well. Don't worry about it. After a few times, you won't believe how much you have improved!

A word of warning though: don't use a big portion of your time for dictations. Just like flashcards, they work on simple memorization, rather than understanding. Therefore, you should use them as a supplemental exercise, and not as the main one. If you don't practice using these words, later on, you can definitely forget them in the future.

5. Practice the words in a conversation with a friend.

What are good friends for? Grab a friend, tell him or her what you need, and start practicing! Make a conversation, and try to use as many new words as possible. The conversation doesn't have to make sense. Actually, sometimes it is more fun if it doesn't... The important thing is that you improve your vocabulary and have some good laughs in the process!

SOURCE : https://www.really-learn-english.com/how-to-study-vocabulary-words.html

November 04, 2018 -

VOCABULARY

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Basic English Vocabulary

So you want to learn English vocabulary? Great!

Now, where do you start?

What is Vocabulary?

Vocabulary means "all the words you know and use". It can also mean "all the words that exist in a language". The word "vocabulary" came to English in the 16th century. It came from the Latin word vocabulum which means "name." This actually makes sense because vocabulary is the names that we give to things. If you don't know the name of a certain object, then when other people say it, you won't know what they mean to say. It also works the other way around. When you use a name for something that others don't know – they won't understand what you mean to say.

The conclusion? You should get familiar with the commonly used words around you and understand them. You should also find out the true meanings of the less common words so that you will know exactly what they mean.

Why is Vocabulary Important?

It is very important if you want to communicate with other people!

Do you want to say something, read something, listen to something, be something?

Then you need to have a great vocabulary. That is the bottom line of the story.

However, there are types of vocabulary, and some may be more important to you, while others will be less important to you.

Types of Vocabulary

To make things simple, we can divide English vocabulary into several main groups:

Basic/common vocabulary
This means the most common words of the language. The words that you will encounter most of the time.
Advanced vocabulary
These words are less common but are very important. They are important because people use them in everyday life and writing.
Special Purpose vocabulary
These words are used in a certain filed or activity. For example, medical vocabulary, business vocabulary, etc. You must know it well and be able to use it if you are in this field.

source: https://www.really-learn-english.com/learn-english-vocabulary.html

November 04, 2018 -

GRAMMAR

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Singular and Plural Nouns

A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea.

Usually, the first page of a grammar book tells you about nouns. Nouns give names of concrete or abstract things in our lives. As babies learn "mom," "dad," or "milk" as their first word, nouns should be the first topic when you study a foreign language.

For the plural form of most nouns, add s.

• bottle – bottles

• cup – cups

• pencil – pencils

• desk – desks

• sticker – stickers

• window – windows

For nouns that end in ch, x, s, or s sounds, add es.

• box – boxes

• watch – watches

• moss – mosses

• bus – buses

For nouns ending in f or fe, change f to v and add es.

• wolf – wolves

• wife – wives

• leaf – leaves

• life – lives

Some nouns have different plural forms.

• child – children

• woman – women

• man – men

• mouse – mice

• goose – geese

Nouns ending in vowels like y or o do not have definite rules.

• baby – babies

• toy – toys

• kidney – kidneys

• potato – potatoes

• memo – memos

• stereo – stereos

A few nouns have the same singular and plural forms.

• sheep – sheep

• series – series

• deer – deer

• species – species

Quiz

Choose the correct form of the noun in each sentence.

1) I have three (child, children).

2) There are five (man, men) and one (woman, women).

3) (Baby, Babies) play with bottles as toys.

4) I put two big (potato, potatoes) in the lunch box.

5) A few men wear (watch, watches).

6) I put a (memo, memos) on the desk.

7) I saw a (mouse, mice) running by.

8) There are few (bus, buses) on the road today.

SOURCE : https://www.talkenglish.com/grammar/singular-plural-nouns.aspx

Kamis, 01 November 2018

November 01, 2018 -

GRAMMAR

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What Are Basic English Grammar Rules?

There are hundreds of grammar rules but the basics refer to sentence structure and parts of speech, which are noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition and conjunction. Let's look at the way sentences are put together and the words that form them.

Basic English Grammar Rules

Some of the most basic and important English grammar rules relate directly to sentence structure. These rules specify that:

· A singular subject needs a singular predicate.

· A sentence needs to express a complete thought.

Another term for a sentence is an independent clause:

· Clauses, like any sentence, have a subject and predicate too. If a group of words does not have a subject and predicate, it is a phrase.

· If a clause can stand alone and make a complete thought, then it is independent and can be called a sentence.

· If clauses do not express a complete thought, they are called dependent clauses. An example of a dependent clause, which is not a sentence, is "when I finish my work." A dependent clause needs an independent clause to make it whole.

So, what are the other basic rules for sentence structure?

Subjects and Predicates

Basic to any language is the sentence, which expresses a complete thought and consists of a subject and a predicate.

· The subject is the star of the sentence; the person, animal, or thing that is the focus of it.

· The predicate will tell the action that the subject is taking or tell something about the subject.

Basic Parts of Speech

Once you have a general idea of the basic grammar rules for sentence structure, it is also helpful to learn about the parts of speech:

· A noun names a person, animal, place, thing, quality, idea, activity, or feeling. A noun can be singular, plural, or possessive.

· A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun, like "I", "you", or "they."

· A verb shows action and can be a main verb or a helping verb, like "were" or "has." Verbs also indicate tense and sometimes change their form to show past, present, or future tense. Linking verbs link the subject to the rest of the sentence and examples are: "appear" and "seem."

· An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun. It adds meaning by telling which one, what kind, or describing it in other ways.

· An adverb will modify a verb and tell more about it, like how much, when, where, why, or how.

· A preposition shows a relationship between nouns or pronouns. It is often used with a noun to show location, like "beside," "in," or "on". It can also show time, direction, motion, manner, reason, or possession.

· Conjunctions connect two words, phrases, or clauses. Common conjunctions are "and", "but", and "or."

Mention needs to be made about other types of words that are considered by some to be parts of speech.

· One of them is the interjection. It shows emotion and examples are "hurray", "uh-oh", and "alas."

· Articles are very useful little words. Indefinite articles are "a" and "an" and "the" is a definite article.

Punctuation

To fully understand basic grammar rules, you also need to look at punctuation rules.

· Capitalization is important. All sentences must start with a capital, or upper-case, letter. Titles of people, books, magazines, movies, specific places, etc. are capitalized. Organizations and compass points are capitalized.

· Every sentence needs a punctuation mark at the end of it. These include a period, exclamation mark, or question mark.

· Colons are used to separate a sentence from a list of items, to introduce a long, direct quote, or between two sentences (or clauses) when the second one explains the first.

· Semicolons can take the place of a conjunction and are placed before introductory words like "therefore" or "however." They are also used to separate a list of things if there are commas within each unit.

· There are a lot of rules for commas. The basic ones are that commas separate things in a series and go wherever there is a pause in the sentence. They surround the name of a person being addressed, separate the day of the month from the year in a date, and separate a town from the state.

· Parentheses enclose things that clarify or numbers and letters that are part of a list.

· Apostrophes are used in contractions to take the place of one or more letters and also to show possession. An apostrophe and "s" is added if the noun is singular and an apostrophe alone is added if the noun is plural.

SOURCE : http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar-rules-and-tips/basic-english-grammar-rules.html

November 01, 2018 -

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Why English is Important

People often want to know the best language to learn to get ahead in life. Many think that learning English, the international language is the best option. English is, of course, an excellent choice, but I have to say it’s difficult for me to suggest just one language when my successes in life have come from speaking so many more languages than English. I will discuss the languages that have created opportunities for me in life, then dig into why English is important.

However, do you know why learning English is so important? Here are ten good reasons to take an English language course:

1. English is the most commonly spoken languages in the world. One out of five people can speak or at least understand English!

2. English is the language of science, of aviation, computers, diplomacy, and tourism. Knowing English increases your chances of getting a good job in a multinational company within your home country or of finding work abroad.

3. English is the official language of 53 countries. That is a lot of people to meet and speak to.

4. English is spoken as a first language by around 400 million people around the world.

5. English is the language of the media industry. If you speak English, you won't need to rely on translations and subtitles anymore to enjoy your favorite books, songs, films, and TV shows.

6. English is also the language of the Internet. Many websites are written in English – you will be able to understand them and to take part in forums and discussions.

7. English is based on a simple alphabet and it is fairly quick and easy to learn compared to other languages.

8. English is not only useful – it gives you a lot of satisfaction. Making progress feels great. You will enjoy learning English if you remember that every hour you spend gets you closer to perfection.

9. Since English is spoken in so many different countries there are thousands of schools around the world that offer programs in English. If you speak English, there're lots of opportunities for you to find an appropriate school and course to suit your academic needs.

10. Because it's fun! By learning English, you will also learn about other cultures. Few experiences will make you grow as a person more than learning the values, habits and way of life in a culture that is different from yours.