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How to Talk to Your Boss
Are enrolled in an ESL program and working in the US? You probably have a boss; unless they own their company, most people have bosses they have to report to and receive instructions from.
Here we will show you how to talk to your manager in correct business English; this is, to let him or her know exactly how you feel or what you need. We will show you how to properly ask for feedback, for an explanation, for more work, and to show frustration, among others.
1.When you are working on a project and you want your manager to review it before officially presenting it, there are numerous ways in which you can ask your manager to do so:
-Do you want to review my project?
-I just finished my project. Do you want to review it?
-This is my first big project and I was wondering if you could review it?
-I think I covered everything, but could you do a quick review?
2.After a project you worked on is completed, you should ask for feedback on it, however, make sure your manager has had enough time to go over the work before you ask for his or her opinion.
-Did you finish reviewing the project I concluded?
-Hi Steve, this was my first project and I wanted to know how I did so that I can get better.
-What do you think I could have done better?
-What should I do different next time?
-What did I do well and what needs to be improved?
3.It is good that you ask for feedback if you are new at a job or position. You can ask for it after you complete an assignment or after a few months on the job.
Some companies have a feedback process set up, where you have weekly or bi-weekly individual meetings with your manager, and this is a good time for you to talk about your work and everything else that concerns you.
If your company does not offer regular feedback meetings, you can schedule some time with your boss to talk about your development:
-Hi Jen, can we meet sometime this week to talk about my work so far?
-I was wondering if we could have a meeting to talk about how I am doing.
4.If your work doesn’t involve a specific project or assignment, you can ask for feedback about your work in general:
-Can you give me some feedback on my performance?
-Where do you think I need to improve?
-What areas you think I should work on?
-Do you think I am ready to work on a specific project?
-Do you think I am ready to get more responsibility?
When you know how to talk to your manager, you convey respect for yourself, your work, your boss, and your company; this is why it is crucial that you learn to communicate appropriately, in a way that enriches your professional growth and your company’s trust in you.
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11 Good Reasons Why Teachers Skip Certain Exercises in the Textbook
Many students sign up for classes at an ESL school and expect to work through their textbooks without missing anything. It could be because they want to make sure they are investing their money wisely or because they trust the textbook more than the teacher. However, most teachers won’t follow the textbook literally, and there are 11 good reasons they don’t do so:
1.Too easy
Textbooks are designed to be used by a range of students with somewhat different levels, strengths, weaknesses, and backgrounds, thus, some exercises may be too easy for a certain class and the teacher may decide to use time more productively in other ways.
2.Too difficult
In the same way, some exercises may be too hard for a specific class, and thus, it is not constructive to complete them at the moment.
3.Complex instructions
Some exercises just take too much time to understand and thus, you are not able to concentrate on what you should really be learning.
4.Repetition
Some exercises are very similar to the current lesson, the homework, or the previous lesson, making them less effective than learning the same thing but in a different way or through a new activity.
5.Incorrect
It may be that the exercise is plain incorrect in the grammar explanation, the information it provides, or the stereotypes in regards to nationality or other groups of people.
6.Not accepted
Maybe previous students have not liked the exercise, thus, the teacher knows it won’t work.
7.Best for homework
Many exercises are better done as homework in order to use class time to reinforce speaking, pronunciation, and grammar theory.
8.Timing
Sometimes, time won’t allow for every exercise to be done if the teacher wants to finish the lesson or course fully.
9.Sticking to the program
The course’s program may differ from the book’s content.
10.Changes
The English information, language, or format may have changed since the textbook was first published.
11.Bad staging
The exercise may be right, but by using it, the teacher could be stopping the next stages of the class from running smoothly.
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20 Questions to Ask Before You Choose a TOEFL Course or Teacher
Before you sign up for a TOEFL course or hire a TOEFL teacher, make sure you ask these 20 questions to be sure you are getting the best help possible.
1. What are the teachers’ nationalities
If you are not familiar with the American accent, you will have to practice a lot, since most of the voices in the test have American or Canadian accents, and a teacher with such an accent will be best for you. Nevertheless, there are some Australian and British accents too, thus, if these pose a bigger problem for you, you better get a teacher who speaks them.
2. Is the school a TOEFL test centre?
It’d be great if you could take the test at your school because it will show the school is serious about teaching TOEFL; it will save you travel time, and will help your confidence by being in a familiar environment.
3. How many TOEFL students does the school get yearly and how many students are there in total?
The more TOEFL students, the better the school teaches TOEFL.
4. Does the school offer self-study materials one can borrow to prepare for the test?
It is always better if you can find such a school; it shows they are well-prepared to help in every way.
5. Is the TOEFL examination mentioned in the school’s website, pamphlets, and signs?
All these tell you the school is serious about teaching TOEFL.
6. Is there a TOEFL class currently active or will they put you on a waiting list?
A waiting list is not convenient because it tells you the school doesn’t normally teach TOEFL and you may be delayed by their schedules.
7. Have the teachers written TOEFL books or materials?
This will not happen often, but it would be awesome if you could learn from such a person.
8. How much experience do the teachers have teaching TOEFL?
You want to find a teacher with over a year of experience preparing students to take the test; the more experience, the better they understand the exam.
9. If the teachers have no TOEFL experience, have they at least taught for other international examinations?
These are similar to TOEFL, thus you will know they have a bit of understanding about what you need.
10. For how long has the school been teaching TOEFL?
A good TOEFL school will have several years of experience teaching it; a year won’t do to understand the test well.
11. Do they only use English in class?
You must practice your English listening intensively, thus, you should prefer an English-only class.
12. Do you have to pass a test to enter the TOEFL class?
If this is not a requirement, your class may be full of students of different levels, and it will be difficult for the teacher to give the information every single student needs. TOEFL students should be separated by levels, according to their knowledge.
13. How long is the course and will all the students remain for the same length of time?
There are courses that last a month and are devoted to training for the test, thus, the students attending are taking the exam in a month, while other courses help you raise your English level in a year’s period in order to do much better in the test.
14. Does the course include as much language development as exam training and tips, and how much of each?
If you plan to take the exam soon, more training and tips will be good, however, if you need to study more to perfect your skills, you will require more language development.
15. If there is a textbook, how many hours of study does it take to complete?
Sometimes, one-month courses are not enough to complete the book, which is a waste of money. If this is your case, look for a school that offers photocopied materials included in the course’s cost.
16. How often are the TOEFL classes?
It is best to study one hour, twice a week, than two hours once a week, because you will remember the language better for the next class.
17. Is there a discount if you take a Business or ESL class along with the TOEFL class?
If you have TOEFL classes only once a week, you should sign up for other classes to reinforce the language.
18. Are the TOEFL students really motivated to take the test?
In some cases, students are forced to take these classes even if they are not interested in taking the test, making the class lose focus and motivation. You want a class where students are eager to take the test.
19. If you don’t improve your TOEFL score by “x” amount, does the school give you a free course or a refund?
This is not the rule, because how much self-study you do is more important than the class itself, however, if you can find a school that offers it, this shows the school is serious and confident about its teachers’ capacity to teach TOEFL, and the teachers will most certainly make you study hard.
20. Does the school offer TOEFL practice online?
This saves students a lot of money, makes practice more interesting, and you can study from anywhere, even without your textbook.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
Sure-fire Ways to Expand Your Vocabulary
Expanding your vocabulary should be one of your most important goals, and ESL programs provide great opportunities to acquire and practice it. Vocabulary is the substance of language, what will let you express yourself fluently without having to stop and look for the words in your head every time you want to say or write something.
An interesting approach to expanding your vocabulary is to understand the links and the semantic relations that exist between words, instead of considering them a chaotic soup of lost words. It’s amazing how our brains speed up their work and retain information when that information has a structure, and how they tend to reject unorganized data.
Examples of semantic relations are, for example, opposite words (antonyms): the opposite of good is bad; the opposite of hot is cold, and so on. Whenever you come across an adjective you don’t know, don’t limit yourself to learning its meaning: if you think that word has a possible opposite, look it up (you’ll need a synonyms and antonyms dictionary).
Some words don’t have an obvious antonym. For example, the word round. What would its antonym be? However, antonyms and synonyms are just an example of semantic relations. Although we can’t find an antonym for the adjective round, we can link it to all the adjectives that describe a shape: squared, triangular’ and so on.
Another example of semantic relation is the inclusion relation (also called “part-whole” relation): the words tree, branch and leaf are related in this sense. A tree contains a branch, which contains a leaf. An arm contains a hand, which contains fingers. Becoming aware of these relations is using your intelligence instead of your memory.
These are just some examples of how to organize your expanding vocabulary. Building a list that connects words through different aspects (such as meaning, opposition/similarity relations, etc.) will definitely give you more control over the words you use.
Once you’ve added a word to your list, open your eyes and ears and pay attention to the different contexts where it happens to appear, since the context is what truly gives shape to a word. For example, hot can refer to temperature, sexual excitement or something popular today.
To sum up:
1.Organize words by linking them through different relations (such as opposition, inclusion, etc)
2.Sort words by similarity
3.Learn the different contexts where the same word can appear
We hope this article helps you with your ESL lessons, and we wish you the best in the process of learning English. Have fun!
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
20 Examples of Words and Their Antonyms
A good way to optimize your time when learning vocabulary is learning words in pairs. How? Well, every time you learn new words, instead of learning them by heart, you can reinforce your understanding of them by watching how their meaning is limited and shaped by other words, called “opposites”.
1.Agree / disagree: He agreed with my ideas, while Susan disagreed.
2.Unlock / lock: The thieves managed to unlock the door. Anyways, it’s always useful to lock it.
3.Remember / forget: She forgot the company’s name during the interview, but remembered it later.
4.Withdraw / deposit: She went to the bank to withdraw some money that I deposited earlier.
5.Asleep / Awake: Are you asleep yet? Or are you still awake?
6.Fail / succeed: Will his son succeed in what he has failed to achieve?
7.Slow / fast: The pros and cons of having a slow car are the same as the pros and cons of having a fast car.
8.Keep / lose: Did he keep his temper under control? Or did he lose it?
9.Lose / make money: We have made a lot of money lately, which compensates for all the money we lost last year.
10.Lower / raise: I’ve heard the banks are planning to raise their interest rates. I wonder if they’ve ever lowered them.
11.Deep / shallow: Is this lake deep or shallow?
12.Increase / reduce: While temperature increases as summer approaches, it reduces as autumn comes along.
13.Complicate / simplify: Why don’t they simplify things instead of complicating them?
14.Strengthen / weaken: You need to strengthen your position before your opponent’s move weakens you more.
15.Expand / decline: Ship building has expanded in this area over the years, while other activities have declined.
16.Accept / deny: The prime minister denied what his assistants had accepted earlier.
17.Disapprove / approve: I wonder whether they approved or disapproved my opinions on the subject.
18.Smart / stupid: Even smart people can say stupid things.
19.Reachable / unreachable: He was trying to convince himself that the unreachable can become reachable.
20.Understand / misunderstand: Everyone but me misunderstood your speech. I was the only one who understood it.
We hope this brief list helps you understand how some words come “in pairs” (although a word may have different opposites!), and that it gives you a better understanding of their meaning, an essential part of your ESL program.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
5 Cool Ways to Improve Your Business English
You might be under a lot of stress to learn English if you need it for work or a business trip, but learning English should be a fun experience. When we do something we enjoy, we don’t have to make an effort in order to learn it: our brains learn it by themselves and they won’t forget it easily! Follow these steps; some are specifically targeted to Business English skills, while others are great to improve general skills like listening or pronunciation.
1)Try to sort out the lyrics of your favorite songs as you listen to them. To improve listening comprehension, play a song and listen to the story it’s telling you. This might be very hard to achieve, but don’t lose heart. Some singers use slang and sing very fast! This may discourage you, but you could always search for the lyrics on the Web. As time goes by, you’ll notice you’ll be catching what they are saying more and more easily.
2)Sing the songs you love to listen to! This is a great and creative way to improve your pronunciation. Let loose and imitate what you hear. Pay special attention to the intonation, and read the lyrics as you sing if you need to.
3)Imitate (out loud) what you hear in movies. Listen to Robert De Niro saying “Don’t you talk back to me”, or to Al Pacino whispering something and become an actor too –because this is what it’s all about: learning a new way of saying something and becoming a new character. Watch a whole movie without reading the subtitles. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t understand every word. Did you know that blind people develop a sharp hearing? Imitate them. Close your eyes and your ears will open up.
4)Read literature. You can also read comic books, newspapers, and business blogs (a great source of business vocabulary), but never forget that literature is one of the endless sources of language. It registers thousands of voices, ways of expressing, and it will fill you with vocabulary and grammar while you lose yourself in a fictional story. Reading and watching movies will help you stay up to date with the latest slang phrases and the different contexts in which they’re used.
5)Attend a Business English conversation group. Or start your own group by calling your friends to join you. When surrounded by others, and working with them, keeping a goal in mind is easier. You can get together and talk about any business topic you like (what happened at a recent meeting, an article you read in The New York Times, latest trends and news, etc), or you can set specific tasks, such as writing business emails or preparing a Power Point presentation. You can read in groups and correct each other.
These are just some examples of how you can improve your Business English, whether you’re attending ESL classes or not. Take advantage of all of the resources available to you!
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
A Foolproof Plan to Improve Your English during Your Stay in the US
Whether you’ve enrolled in an ESL program for beginners, advanced ESl classes, or Business English courses, the key to improving your English lies in how seriously you take your English learning goals and how hard you’ll try to achieve them. Sounds too “serious”, right? And no fun? Although, improving your English does require a certain amount of hard work and concentration, it is possible to find the perfect balance between concentrated studying and spontaneous, fun learning. Follow this foolproof plan, and you’ll be speaking more confidently in English in no time.
Plunge into it head first!
No matter how great, how experienced, or how knowledgeable your teachers are, you will never absorb the teachings they impart through osmosis. Do not think you can just sit quietly in the back of the classroom, and just listen and watch what goes on. If you really want to improve your English, you have to dive into the experience; participate and be actively engaged in the lessons, right from the start, even if you’re a beginner and will only be able to say a few words. This is not the time to be shy or self-conscious about your English, after all, you’ll be surrounded by students just like you!
Do your homework
Throughout your life you’ve always heard teachers and parents tell you to study and do your homework, and let’s face it, they were a pain in the neck. But they were right. After school study is essential to strengthen everything you’ve seen in class. All of those new words, grammar tenses, and expressions must be reviewed, practiced, and chewed on, so to speak. This way you’ll increase your chances of remembering and effectively using everything you’ve learned. Besides the exercises assigned to you by your teacher, there are several fun things you could do for “homework”. You could read short news articles or blog posts. Watch videos on YouTube or CNN.com. Make a note of any new words or vocabulary and then look them up in your dictionary. The resources are endless!
Get out and mingle!
It is absolutely essential that you practice what you’re learning in class in real life settings. Engage the locals in conversation and ask them about their customs, history, sites of interest, and activities. Even if you’re a beginner there’s lots you could say and practice, from day-to-day phrases, to polite requests. No matter what your level is, you must make the effort to speak to people outside the classroom. You could join a club or organization, even sign up for extracurricular classes, like cooking, pottery, or skiing.
There is an amazing variety of ESL programs to choose from, but once you do make your choice, you have to commit to it for the duration. An English course in the US is an investment, and one you won’t want to waste. To really make it worth your time and money, you must do your part. If you do, you won’t be sorry. You’ll feel more confident speaking English and be ready to take on the world!
The ESL Student Guide to the Passive Voice
As you read about recent business trends and developments in newspapers and magazines, you will notice how often the passive form is used in sentences such as:
Grove Developments has been chosen to build the new sports center.
Most students will be able to understand this sentence; however, using the passive voice when you speak or write may not be as simple. It is important that you know, first, how it is formed, and secondly, you must know the past participle form of every verb you learn as this is essential to understand and make sentences in which the passive is used.
The passive voice is formed with an auxiliary verb, or several, and the past participle of the verb. Students should also be able to use the passive voice in the correct verb tense, so look through all the tenses and see how you pass verb forms from active to passive. Notice also how the subject changes.
Simple Present
They sell more than 6 million tins of beans every week. > More than 6 million tins of beans are sold every week
They say Kent Industries is thinking of expanding overseas. > Kent Industries is said to be thinking of expanding overseas.
The company employs 200 people. > Two hundred people are employed by the company.
Simple Past
An American company took them over last year. > They were taken over by an American company last year.
They made no attempts to explain the inconsistency in the figures. > No attempt was made to explain the inconsistency in the figures.
They won the contract in the face of strong competition. > The contract was won in the face of strong competition.
Present Perfect
We have lost 110 working days so far this year as a result of industrial unrest. > 110 working days have been lost so far this year as a result of industrial unrest.
We have put prices on the list for 2010. > Prices have been put on the list for 2010.
We have received new machines. > New machines have been received.
With Will
They will build their new factory on the outskirts of town. > Their new factory will be built on the outskirts of town.
They will send a prospectus to all potential investors. > A prospectus will be sent to all potential investors.
We will hold an extraordinary general meeting next Wednesday. > An extraordinary general meeting will be held next Wednesday.
With Can, May, or Might
People can know a product by different names in different countries. > A product can be known by different names in different countries.
A new client may buy one thousand units this week. > One thousand units may be bought this week by a new client.
Our company might build new facilities for the South American operation next year. > New facilities for the South American operation might be built next year.
The use of the Passive Voice is one of the essentials covered in any good ESL program. Together with the other basics, it will give you the solid foundation you need to communicate more fluently and effectively in English.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
The Most Common Mistakes Made by ESL Students
ELS students usually face common mistakes which tend to confuse them. Words in the English language sometimes are similar or the same but are different in meaning, use and pronunciation.
In the following examples, you’ll see the differences and the most common mistakes students tend to make in their ESL classes.
Good vs. well
*Good is an adjective which describes a noun.
*Well is an adverb which describes how you do the action.
She did well on the test.
He played well in the tennis match.
She sang well.
He’s a good tennis player.
She’s a good dancer.
I’m a good singer.
Bring vs. take
*We use bring if the speaker refers to something that is at his current location and when something moves from there to here.
*We use take if the speaker refers to something that is in a different location and when something moves from here to there.
I brought all my books to class.
He brought his pictures to show his friends.
I promise I will bring it next time.
Jon took his boy to the baseball game.
I’ll remember to take everything to the picnic.
She felt sick so he took her home.
It’s vs. its
*It’s is the contracted form of it is. This is a subject (it) with the verb to be.
*Its is the possessive case.
It’s a great idea! Let’s go to the concert.
It’s mine! What are you doing?
What wrong with Bill’s behavior? It’s something we should be concerned about.
That watch is nice. Its color is rare.
That’s your new shirt. Its style is nice.
It’s a great house and its price is reasonable.
Everyone vs. every one
*Use everyone as a pronoun to mean all the people in a group.
*Use every one as a noun to indicate each person.
Do you think everyone will go to the play?
Everyone contacts her to leave her comments on her blog.
Everyone is considering going to the party.
Every one of the experts has different points of view.
The teacher told every one of the students to behave.
Every one of the dancers was told to improve.
Since vs. for with present perfect
*We use since with the present perfect to indicate that something has happened since a point in time.
*We use for with the present perfect to express that something has happened for a period time.
I’ve worked here since 2001.
She’s been married since October of this year.
He’s been repairing the car since two this afternoon.
He’s worked on this project for 2 years.
Jon has been playing rugby for 1 hour.
I’ve worked on this report for 1 week.
Too, two, to
*Too is the same as also and is used at the end of a sentence. Too is also too much of a particular quality.
That house is too expensive for me!
I love eating pizza too!
This is too much for me! Help me solve it.
*Two is the written form of number 2.
I’ve always wanted two children.
She is so lucky; she has two houses.
I’ve corrected two tests so far.
*To is usually used as a preposition and also used as part of the infinitive form of verbs.
Tomorrow I’m going to my grandmother’s house.
I spoke to her about the inconvenience we had at tennis.
He returned the key to her when they broke up.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
Is Your ESL Class a Game?
Many ESL students, especially adults, complain about their ESL teachers spending too much time playing games instead of seriously teaching them the English language.
Most teachers disregard this criticism simply because serious teaching and playing games in class often go hand in hand, and many experts in teaching find that games are quite useful for the learning experience.
If you think playing games is not a professional way of teaching the English language, and you want to be heard by your ESL school and teacher, first confirm if they have a valid reason for making your ESL class a game:
1. To create a more instructive and controlled practice
You can only repeat the same grammar or sentence a certain amount of times before your brain shuts down. Through games, nevertheless, you can repeat the same sentence or practice a lot more times in appealing ways, and in this way, you will be able to function better next time you talk to someone in English.
2. To make the link between fun and memory
It is easier for you to memorize a language when you are having fun while hearing or using it.
3. To reinforce class spirit
When playing games, it is easier for classmates to get to know each other and to learn to work together. You will feel more motivated to go to class and pay attention because of the team spirit within the group.
4. To know how well you are doing
It is hard to know when you are speaking well, or not, when you learn a language, but through a game with points it is easy to know how well you’re doing.
5. To warm you up
Games are great to wake you up and get your brain going and ready to assimilate the language.
6. To train different parts of your brain
During ESL class, you use your memory skills a lot to learn vocabulary, and other logical skills to understand grammar rules; however, your learning experience becomes richer if you can involve other parts of your brain through drawing, hand-eye coordination, and music. All of these are elements that can be easily included through games.
7. To support the natural way of learning
We know that babies learn the language by copying people, but we tend to forget that they also use it a lot when playing; they use nonsense words, puns, and skipping rhymes to make up new words. This is the playful and inventive attitude that many adults lack when learning a language, and it can be stimulated through games.
8. To encourage competition and motivation
People have a competitive nature, thus, they learn faster when they race against others. When playing a game to learn the language, their competitive nature arises, making them work harder to learn it better than the others.
9. To please students
Most students like games, thus, teachers may be trying to please them and get them motivated to learn. When each game has a serious teaching objective, everyone gains something from the experience.
10. Students complain about games for the wrong reasons
Many students blame their teachers for their inability to learn and never blame their lack of interest, thus, games become an easy target.
11. To encourage variety
As every other thing you learn, in order to master a language you have to approach it from many different angles. If you exclude games, you are losing a lot of different opportunities to enhance your reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills.
12. To remember the language through the game
In many cases, the best way to recall a language is to remember the first time you heard or used it. In a classroom there is a limited amount of people, making it possible for the teacher to make each ESL class unforgettable for every student. This is easily achieved through playing different games each week.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
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