esl programs
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!
Tips for ESL Students - Destroy Your Fear of the Possessive Apostrophe
Apostrophes are not intended to be the nightmare of ESL students or anyone else for that matter. Here we destroy your fear of the possessive apostrophe by showing you how easy it is to understand.
What is the difference between the two sentences in the following three sets of statements?
1. The girl’s papers are on the table, and
The girls’ papers are on the table
2. The book’s pages are damaged, and
The books’ pages are damaged
3. What you see there is the dog’s food, and
What you see there is the dogs’ food
The possessive apostrophe is always used, as its name states, to denote possession of something. It is normal for those taking ESL lessons, to feel confused by the position of such an apostrophe in a noun; however, it is truly very simple to understand.
The trick, if you want to see it as such, is for the ESL student to define if the possessive noun, or the owner of the thing, which can be a person or a thing, is singular or plural, and whether or not it ends in –s in its written form.
These are the rules:
1. When the possessive noun is singular, always add an apostrophe (’) + an -s. For example:
- The cat’s litter
- Laura’s house
- The baby’s crib
2. When the possessive noun doesn’t end in –s in its written form, always add an apostrophe (’) + an –s. For example:
- Mary’s children
- The dog’s food
- The house’s roof
3. When the possessive noun is plural and ends in –s, which includes most plural nouns, just add an apostrophe (’). For example:
- The cats’ tails
- The foods’ flavors
- The texts’ meaning
This is why you see sentences with things like the following:
- Charles’s car (Note that ‘Charles’ is singular)
- The children’s toys (Note that ‘children’ is plural, but it doesn’t end in –s)
- The boss’s office (Note that ‘boss’ is singular)
And this is also why you don’t know if something belongs to one person or to several until it is written down.
In fact, you basically have to remember the third rule; if this one doesn’t apply, always add an apostrophe (’) and an –s.
Now you’re ready to go out and impress everyone at your ESL class, but remember to spread the joy. Let your classmates into the big secret you just learned and release their fear too!
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).
Useful Word Partnerships for ESL Students
Some pairs of words often occur together. If you meet one, you can expect the other. This makes it easier for ESL students to understand written and spoken language, and build their vocabulary as well. Word partnerships are seen in ESL classes which become useful and necessary for everyday language. Higher level ESL programs also present this type of vocabulary, but they add other more complex or specialized word combinations. ESL students have a chance to see them, practice them, and use them in everyday situations.
Below you will see different combinations of word partnerships:
Verb – noun combinations
1. Answer the phone
2. Appoint a new manager
3. Arrange a meeting
4. Export goods
5. Pay tax
6. Solve a problem
7. Type a letter
8. Welcome a visitor
9. Fill a vacancy
10. Interview an applicant
11. Offer a discount
12. Owe some money
13. Rent office space
14. Run a business
15. Send a fax
16. Sign a contract
17. Address a meeting
18. Arrange a demonstration
19. Consider a proposal
20. Fire an employee
21. Keep a record
22. Pay an invoice
23. Place an order
24. Phone a client
25. Build a factory
26. Cash a cheque
27. Dispatch goods
28. Express thanks
29. Postpone a meeting
30. Reach an agreement
31. Reduce costs
32. Settle disputes
EXAMPLES
1. They might offer you a discount if you pay within ten days.
2. Do you need a license to export goods to the Soviet Union?
3. Don’t forget we have to pay tax on the profit we made.
4. I’m trying to arrange a meeting with my bank manager next Tuesday.
5. They hope to reduce costs by employing fewer staff.
6. Could you arrange a demonstration so we can see exactly how it works?
7. It’s not always easy to settle disputes between management and staff.
8. They’re going to build a factory on some vacant land nearby.
Adjective – noun combinations
33. Annual conference
34. Early retirement
35. Extended credit
36. Limited liability
37. Natural resources
38. Occupational pension
39. Private offer
40. Unfair dismissal
41. Effective communication
42. Financial difficulties
43. High priority
44. Introductory offer
45. Skilled workers
46. Sound investment
47. Vacant property
48. Wide range
49. Continuous supply
50. Fundamental disagreement
51. Illustrated brochure
52. Multi-national company
53. Potential customer
54. Prompt reply
55. Strict control
56. Visual aid
57. Advanced technology
58 .Alternative arrangements
59. Close attention
60. Competitive quote
61. Considerable expense
62. Essential requirement
63. Manual labor
64. Raw materials
EXAMPLES
1. As a special introductory offer, they’re selling two for the price of one.
2. I’m going to the annual conference of our trade union.
3. He was only 50 but he decided to take early retirement.
4. There is a shortage of skilled workers for this kind of work.
5. We can’t use the hall so we’ll have to make alternative arrangements.
6. They were recently taken over by a multi-national company.
7. I’d like you to meet her. She could be a potential customer.
8. I want you to pay close attention to everything he does.
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).
ESL Class - How to Expand your Vocabulary with Opposites
When you learn new vocabulary, it is sometimes difficult to remember new words; you probably tend to translate or use the dictionary as the fastest way out. Trying to remember opposites is a great technique that may prevent you from constantly turning to a dictionary for either the definition or translation.
In most ESL programs, teachers teach a word through opposites, synonyms, illustrations, mimics, examples, etc. You can build your vocabulary by asking yourself if you know the opposite of one of the most important words in a sentence. It also helps to learn words in a complete sentence. This makes them much easier to remember. These are also great strategies to avoid translating in class. Why is it so important to avoid translation? Most ESL teachers believe that if you use or speak your native language in class, this will not allow you to incorporate the second language in a easy, fast, and natural way.
Learning through opposites is effective, and as mentioned above, ESL students must try to avoid translations and learn the language through the second language itself.
Below, you’ll see some examples of opposites used in business English:
1. Reject-accept: He has accepted my recommendation.
2. Demolish-build: They are demolishing an office block down by the river.
3. Attack-defend: She defended the company’s policy on the environment.
4. Withdraw-deposit: She’s gone to the bank to deposit money.
5. Accept-evade: Is he the kind of person that accepts his responsibilities?
6. Fail-succeed: I think his reorganization plan will ultimately fail.
7. Impose-lift: They’ve imposed restrictions on the use of cell phones.
8. Gain-lose: Share prices gained ground throughout the day.
9. Lose-make (money): We made a lot of money on that last deal.
10. Keep-miss: Did he miss his appointment with that journalist?
11. Lower-raise: They say the banks are going to raise interest rates.
12. Increase-reduce: I think this move will increase the deficit.
13. Complicate-simplify: Won’t the new clocking-in-system simplify things?
14. Strengthen-weaken: Getting outside finance can only weaken our position.
15. Expand-decline: Ship building has expanded in this area over the years.
16. Accept-deny: He denied that the company was in trouble.
17. Disapprove-approve: Many employees approved of the new law.
18. Defend-accuse: A defense attorney is responsible for defending his client.
19. Buy-sell: Over the last 10 years the company has bought millions of units.
20. Inform-misinform: As they were misinformed, they didn’t get the message correctly.
21. Legal-illegal: He was accused of illegal business practices.
22. Lay off-hire: A large number of staff members were hired this week.
23. Understand-misunderstand: Everyone misunderstood the new French engineer who was hired last week.
24. Agree-disagree: Not everyone agreed that working offshore the whole week was a bad idea.
25. Employed-unemployed: Many legal aliens are unemployed in this city.
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).
Adjectives and Prepositions - A Study Guide for ESL Students
It is sometimes difficult to remember which preposition comes after each adjective. The only way to remember is through practice; the more we practice the easier it becomes for us to use them later on. We feel more confident we are choosing the right preposition because it “feels” right.
Correct usage of English grammar mainly involves lots of study and practice. For this reason, English schools or language institutes are constantly developing grammar booklets for practice as well as online exercises. Business travelers need a continuous practice and their needs become more demanding as they advance in their English studies and gain more and more self-confidence with the language. Every area of the language should be learned through repetition in diferent contexts. Through dynamic activities, students will feel motivated. Fluency and automatic responses start to come naturally.
One of the things ESL students need to study and practice are adjectives and prepositions as well as other combinations with prepositions. ESL programs include many practice exercises and practice tests so students will feel more confident when it comes to using the adjectives correctly.
Below you’ll see adjectives and the prepositions that follow them, as well as some examples used in business English:
- Familiar with: I’m sure they must be familiar with our products as they’re used all over the world.
- Eligible for: If you pay within seven days you will be eligible for a discount.
- Available for: I will be available for an interview at any time.
- Envious of: The other salespeople were all envious of her success and so they were pleased when she left.
- Contrary to: Contrary to expectations, our sales figures went down last month.
- Popular with: Our new range of toys has proved very popular with children who have watched the television program.
- Consistent with: Any decision made must be consistent with the company’s overall marketing strategy.
- Responsible for: The maintenance engineer is responsible for checking every machine at least once a week.
- Aware of: I’m not aware of any regulations that should prevent us from exporting to those countries.
- Capable of: We need somebody who is capable of understanding German.
- Relevant to: That’s an interesting point but it isn’t really relevant to our discussion.
- Accustomed to: It took me some time to become accustomed to using the new system.
- Acceptable to: They will only sign if the terms are fully acceptable to them.
- Dependant on: It’s risky to be dependant on only one supplier.
- Proud of: He was so proud of his firm’s achievements that he talked about them to everyone he met.
- Well known for: This company is well known for the high quality of its products.
Bear in mind that there are no easy to follow rules regarding which preposition goes with which adjective. Extended practice will make you more confident as to which to use. ESL programs usually provide the right resources and guide you in your practice.
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).
Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:
The Crime of Double Negatives – Revealed!
Among the many challenges learning English as second language poses, an all time classic is a double negative. Since double negatives do exist and in fact are quite correct in other languages, for instance Spanish, many ESL students have to face the fact that in English they are not correct and therefore should not be used. What is a double negative, you might ask. It is is the nonstandard usage of two negatives used in the same construction. In a double negative sentence, they cancel each other and create a positive. Today, they are considered grammar mistakes.
The standard use of negatives in English can be understood from a mathematical concept. If you have two positives, for example + + = +, the result will be another positive. Now take a look at this. If we have two negatives, - - = +, they will equal another positive. In math in order to have a negative you would need to do this - + = - or + - = -. In other words you need a combination of a positive and negative to have a negative. Sounds a bit technical, right? Look at these examples that illustrate this concept. Remembering that two negatives form a positive will help you to avoid the “double negative” grammar problem:
I don’t want no coffee.
So, don’t is clearly negative and so is the word no. Here we have a double negative. The solution to this would be to say something like: I don’t want any coffee.
Since the word any is not negative, your problem is solved. Here is a list that has words that are considered negative. Use them once in your sentences and your statements will be negative.
no, not, none, nothing, nowhere, nobody, no one, hardly, scarcely, barely, neither
Here are some more examples.
I didn’t see nothing. – wrong!; I didn’t see anything. – right!
There wasn’t no one there. – wrong!; There wasn’t anyone there. – right!
I don’t hardly have time. – wrong!; I hardly have any time. – right!
There isn’t nowhere to park. – wrong!; There isn’t anywhere to park. – right!
We didn’t have nobody to help us. – wrong!; We didn’t have anybody to help us. – right!
He can’t barely move. – wrong!; He can barely move. – right!
She didn’t scarcely have anything to eat. – wrong!; She scarcely had anything to eat. – right!
Just keep in mind that nothing is impossible. By learning and practising the correct use of these words in your ESL programs you can avoid problems in the future. And no matter how many times you hear them in rock songs, remember: just say no to the double negative!
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).
Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:
How To Choose the Right ESL School
Many people around the world come to the United States every year to learn English and prepare themselves for their futures. Many students may just want to improve their English, while other students may be preparing themselves for English speaking colleges or universities they may be entering in the near future. But before you decide what ESL school is right for you, there are a few things you should carefully consider.
First off, many colleges do not offer English intensive speaking classes, and ESL programs are not always part of the college’s or university’s academic degree. If your college does not offer a full time intensive English program, you might be better off studying at a strictly ESL school first, before starting your college career. However, if your college of choice has university-based ESL programs, they can offer several advantages. One of them is that English students live on campus and have full time access to the college libraries and other facilities. Another advantage of taking university-based ESL classes is that according to your visa privileges, you may be able to work 20-30 hours per week as well.
But if your college does not offer these programs you may want to consider attending a private English language facility. Many of these schools are usually located near a college or university campus, and many provide housing as well. These schools can also be perfect if you are interested, or only have time for, a two to three week program. These ESL programs are designed for students seeking short time study options, to prepare themselves quickly before going to the university. Some ESL schools even offer advanced classes at a local college or university, allowing you to gain credit in the process. Some even offer vacation ESL programs.
Before choosing as ESL school that best suits you, first carefully consider your options. Do you want a serious ESL program or are you just looking to learn the basics of the language? You also need to consider you budget. You need to consider how much money you have available to pay for tuition, books, living expenses, etc. What is your determination to learn English? Many intensive English programs meet 20-30 hours per week, and you need to fulfill these hours if you even want to qualify to get a visa. And lastly, make sure the school is accredited, and have professionally trained and experienced teachers working there. Finding a good ESL school will be an important first step in learning English as your second language.
If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to post it to your site or blog and forward this link to your friends. Have a great day!
Don’t forget to visit our ESL blog.
Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:
There’s No Magic Behind An English Course
Language learning can be very intriguing. People tend to think that after making the decision to take up a course, knowledge will start growing unattended in some corner of their minds. So, what they usually do is attend ESL classes, more or less regularly, and hope that every time a class finishes, their English level will be considerably higher. If they can’t tell a complete story then, using their “new” language, after the first or second lesson, frustration settles in their minds, and they usually end up blaming the trainer, the material, the time, their stress, or whatever seems most suitable.
This is more evident in one-on-one courses, as the pressure to succeed is only exerted by the teacher and not from peers. Excuses for a poor performance proliferate quickly and the students soon forget that at least 50% of their success depends basically on their own efforts. A course may be fantastic, the trainers and methodology a dream, but if a student is not fully committed to work hard all along the process, said course is bound to fail.
The symptoms of failure start long before the course is finished; they appear by the beginning of the second or third class. What are they? Just simple indicators that a student is not fully committed or has a careless behavior towards the course. Here is a list of the most typical ones:
- INCOMPLETE MATERIAL: Not having a notebook may be acceptable once, but lost books, CDs, or whatever material the class requires may be telling you that the course is not as important for the student as it should be. Important things are kept on hand, as you use them regularly.
- LATE ARRIVAL: Unexpected meetings or commuting may interfere sometimes with lessons. But students should arrange their schedules accordingly and make the best use of their time, not to interrupt their and other people’s lessons. Losing one half of each lesson will make a student learn probably only one third of what he expects.
- NO HOMEWORK: When excuses are abundant and real work too little, a student has found the shortest way to failure. Homework was created to use and practice what you learn, if you don’t practice, you don’t remember a thing.
- CLASS INTERRUPTIONS: Cell phones are distracting for students, and a nightmare for teachers. The more a cell phone rings during the class, the lower the level of the English course in the student’s personal hierarchy. Who learns unimportant things?
- QUESTIONING: A teacher may not be right all the time, but he certainly won’t be wrong all the time. When a student questions everything you say it is only obvious that he is not willing to learn from you. And people who don’t want to learn, will never learn.
Many other factors can interfere with a student’s capacity to learn English, like stress levels or natural skills. However, most of them can be eluded with the adequate methodology and a suitable trainer. But no strategy can work properly if the main interference comes from the student’s wrong attitude towards the learning process. There’s no magic behind an English course to make you learn a whole language over the weekend. No system can compensate for a lack of effort, only a student’s commitment and hard work will. So, if you’re planning to take up a course soon, remember that only by doing your best will you be able to get the most of the whole program. That’s the formula.
ESL Programs – A Large Variety to Choose from
English as a Second Language (ESL) has been instrumental in developing the English skills of individuals whose native language is another. ESL has a set of programs in which each one is different in its own way and is engaged in the task of imparting English knowledge. The number of programs has increased over the years as the needs of students have been on a rising trend.
The diversity of programs can be attributed to three major reasons, namely:
- The student population that is to be served
- Individual characteristics of the students
- Resources available at a particular place
The classification of programs chiefly depends on where the focus of the program lies and based on this criterion, there are two classifications:
- Stand-Alone ESL
- ESL Plus
The Stand-Alone ESL program is very much similar to Foreign Language classes, as the focal point is on Linguistics aspects. These programs are conducted for a special class of people who taken away from the normal classroom surrounding, and classes are exclusively conducted for them with extra care and attention. It covers only a lesser portion of the instruction material and hence the classes may be there for 2 to 3 days a week. Here are the few examples:
Pull Out: This is a situation adopted in elementary environment where the students are taken away from their normal classes to be provided with separate classes by a single teacher or by a teacher who is entrusted with a single building.
Class Period: This instruction is followed in middle or secondary school setting, where the students learn the ESL instruction along their normal course of classes in the normal class hours and are provided with credits for this course based on their level of proficiency achieved.
Resource Center: The Resource Center is the enhanced version of the pull out program in the sense that, the students from various classes or schools are taken away from their regular classes. To provide a better learning experience, the resources are all centralized at a single location.
As for ESL Plus, it is just an extension of the Stand-Alone ESL and hence covers a larger portion of the instruction. It is inclusive of all the aspects of Stand-Alone ESL but its focus extends beyond the Linguistic aspects to the medium of instruction of the content area which may be in English or the native language. Following are the few examples of ESL Plus:
Bilingual Education Programs: These programs on the basis of success levels are further classified as ‘Early Transition’ and ‘Late Transition’ and these programs are used at the elementary or the secondary level.
Structured Immersion Program: These programs at its various levels concentrate on enhancing English skills as a language and in the phase of content area instruction.
Sheltered English Or Content-Based Program: These programs are those which are provided simultaneously with other academic subjects.
High Intensity Language Training (Hilt): This program is characterized by intensive ESL training and it also shares various aspects of the sheltered program.
Thus, ESL programs have been very effective in imparting English skills with their wide range of exclusive programs.
Best Practices in ESL Teaching
The industry of English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL) teaching has grown immensely. There are many curricula, academies, schools, and methods available. Learning English is a need that can be met with relative ease in almost every country in the world. However, it is also true that there are qualities within the spectrum of options, and there are certain identified characteristics, methodologies, and philosophies that have been found to be the most effective in bringing about the attainment of the goal: to be fluent in English.
The best practices in ESL teaching are many and are documented in several manuals and catalogues of organizations dedicated to the study of teaching English, such as the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS); the International Association of Teachers of EFL (IATEFL); International Association of Language Teaching Technology (IALTT); Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and many others. The following are a few of the more important practices and philosophies to look for when selecting an ESL program:
- Integration of four language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking
- Holistic approach to reading and writing skills. This means you should not only be taught reading and writing mechanics, but comprehension, peer evaluation, lectures, and other tools should be used in order to make you apply the skills and gain better comprehension.
- Integration of language and content. This means you should not just be taught vocabulary and grammar, but they should be presented within a context that makes them more comprehensible.
- Emphasis on language use rather than form
- Emphasis on authentic meaning and function. This refers to not being stuck on formal definitions, but on the meaning and use of words and phrases
- Skills taught in context through topics of interest to students
The above practices would be considered essential in a modern ESL or EFL teaching environment. The last ingredient is the use of technology, such as collaborative online groups, streaming video, and other teaching aids that are widely available in our technology-driven society.
Search
Categories
Archives
