Monday, July 28, 2014

What do you think about this?

What do you think about this?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1042425/Why-ignore-bad-spelling-Lecturer-calls-amnesty-students-20-errors.html?ITO=1490 Why are British students so bad at spelling their own language? (And other native English speakers too, especially Americans.) Here are some comments from non-native English speakers, and I agree with them: Paula, Italy: I am a foreigner, I studied your beautiful, elegant, expressive language as a foreign language, and I don't make spelling mistakes. Most of my friends and colleagues who also studied it as a foreign language don't make any spelling mistakes either. We're not an educated elite, we studied English in very average, ordinary schools, no more than three or four hours a week. How come British "students" cannot manage? Eve, Poland: This idea is ridiculous. Besides, I don't understand how people can make such mistakes in their own language. English is my second language and I wouldn't be caught dead misspelling these words. CC7, Switzerland: I'm not a native English speaker and yet I would write all the words in this list correctly. That's called "learning", and it should also -especially- go for native speakers! Wilma, Netherlands: My Dutch students were extremely surprised when I told them that lots of English people could not distinguish between "there" and 'their" and "it's" and 'its". By the way English is my third language. Raymond, Germany: I am a language trainer in Luxembourg and to give in to the bad spellers is a capitulation which signals how little respect British people have for their own language. German, French and even Polish speakers don't suffer similar problems because they are taught to hold their language in high regard. (...) I tell my international language training participants to ask Scandinavians or Dutch people how to write if I am not there to help. Furthermore, I know one British person at the place I work whose letters are corrected by his French boss because they are full of mistakes. Anthony, Malta: I learnt the English Language at a state school in Malta fifty years ago. Thankfully great emphasis was laid on this most important of languages then and now. Spelling mistakes were anathema. How can people, born and bred in England, be unable to spell words in their own language ? How low can standards in this once Great country get ? Hmm, after I saw your answers, I guess now I know why. You just don't care. And if you don't care, please don't answer the question. Why are you people offended? I asked a serious question here. Aren't you ashamed of the fact that you don't know your own language and that foreigners have to correct you? Most of you didn't even bothered to read this, then how could I expect you to read a book. Oops sorry, I mean "didn't even bother", not "bothered". Sorry, I was typing too fast.
Words & Wordplay - 13 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
yeah
2 :
IDK!!!! and IDC!!!!!!
3 :
question is too long, nobody cares!
4 :
I think some people worry too much about spelling, and that content is more important to me.
5 :
This is what i was thinking the whole time i read your question...Blab blahhhhh blah.
6 :
ummm yes?
7 :
That is so funny because of the missed spelled words! LOL I studied Spanish for a long time and can say that when you learn it as a second language you pay more attention to details. When you are a native speaker you tend to become lazy because you know people will understand you. Plus in today's society with all of the texting many words have been shortened. I have a professor that actually had to remind my junior college English class that your thesis papers couldn't use text talk, aka U for you, and that OMG is not a sentence.
8 :
I don't know why people insist on repeating this question over and over, but thank you for your ignorance and your two points.
9 :
too much reading.. :P
10 :
I've thought about this before too. I think it's because people who are born and raised in an English-speaking environment only learn the language from hearing it and from experience, not in a classroom. For most spelling and grammar rules only come when they begin attending formal schooling. Thus, speaking the language comes more easily than writing or spelling it. Those who learn English as a second language learn it in a formal, classroom environment, where the rules of spelling and grammar are taught to them straight away.
11 :
Apparently Paula, Eve, CC7, Wilma, Raymond and Anthony are all better then us and we suck.....whatever
12 :
Gee I don't know, maybe it's because we are busy doing other things like protecting the freedom and rights of others to write opinions like you just did. xox
13 :
I think one of the reasons may be the fact that they have a lot of exposure to casual English that interferes with the proper way of spelling and grammar. Also as all native speakers of any language, those who make spelling / grammatical errors may be using their intuitive knowledge of their language rather than rules to decide what is correct and incorrect. Nonnative speakers of English, on the other hand, encounter other types of difficulties when writing or speaking: the proper use of the prepositions, pronunciation, intonation, word stress, sentence stress, interference of the first language, the culture to mention only a few.

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Monday, July 14, 2014

What do you think about this?

What do you think about this?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1042425/Why-ignore-bad-spelling-Lecturer-calls-amnesty-students-20-errors.html?ITO=1490 Why are British students so bad at spelling their own language? (And other native English speakers too, especially Americans.) What do you think about this phenomenon? Why do native English speakers have so many problems spelling their own language correctly? Here are some comments from non-native English speakers, and I agree with them: Paula, Italy: I am a foreigner, I studied your beautiful, elegant, expressive language as a foreign language, and I don't make spelling mistakes. Most of my friends and colleagues who also studied it as a foreign language don't make any spelling mistakes either. We're not an educated elite, we studied English in very average, ordinary schools, no more than three or four hours a week. How come British "students" cannot manage? Eve, Poland: This idea is ridiculous. Besides, I don't understand how people can make such mistakes in their own language. English is my second language and I wouldn't be caught dead misspelling these words. CC7, Switzerland: I'm not a native English speaker and yet I would write all the words in this list correctly. That's called "learning", and it should also -especially- go for native speakers! Wilma, Netherlands: My Dutch students were extremely surprised when I told them that lots of English people could not distinguish between "there" and 'their" and "it's" and 'its". By the way English is my third language. Raymond, Germany: I am a language trainer in Luxembourg and to give in to the bad spellers is a capitulation which signals how little respect British people have for their own language. German, French and even Polish speakers don't suffer similar problems because they are taught to hold their language in high regard. (...) I tell my international language training participants to ask Scandinavians or Dutch people how to write if I am not there to help. Furthermore, I know one British person at the place I work whose letters are corrected by his French boss because they are full of mistakes. Anthony, Malta: I learnt the English Language at a state school in Malta fifty years ago. Thankfully great emphasis was laid on this most important of languages then and now. Spelling mistakes were anathema. How can people, born and bred in England, be unable to spell words in their own language ? How low can standards in this once Great country get ?
Languages - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
are you sure. i thought btittish were the most pproper peoplr in languge and writting
2 :
Because a lot of people tend to be idiots who don't care or forget all of their education. And they didn't care as much about learning how to write.

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Monday, July 7, 2014

What do you think about this?

What do you think about this?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1042425/Why-ignore-bad-spelling-Lecturer-calls-amnesty-students-20-errors.html?ITO=1490 Why are British students so bad at spelling their own language? Here are some comments from non-native English speakers, and I agree with them: Paula, Italy: I am a foreigner, I studied your beautiful, elegant, expressive language as a foreign language, and I don't make spelling mistakes. Most of my friends and colleagues who also studied it as a foreign language don't make any spelling mistakes either. We're not an educated elite, we studied English in very average, ordinary schools, no more than three or four hours a week. How come British "students" cannot manage? Eve, Poland: This idea is ridiculous. Besides, I don't understand how people can make such mistakes in their own language. English is my second language and I wouldn't be caught dead misspelling these words. CC7, Switzerland: I'm not a native English speaker and yet I would write all the words in this list correctly. That's called "learning", and it should also -especially- go for native speakers! Wilma, Netherlands: My Dutch students were extremely surprised when I told them that lots of English people could not distinguish between "there" and 'their" and "it's" and 'its". By the way English is my third language. Raymond, Germany: I am a language trainer in Luxembourg and to give in to the bad spellers is a capitulation which signals how little respect British people have for their own language. German, French and even Polish speakers don't suffer similar problems because they are taught to hold their language in high regard. (...) I tell my international language training participants to ask Scandinavians or Dutch people how to write if I am not there to help. Furthermore, I know one British person at the place I work whose letters are corrected by his French boss because they are full of mistakes. Anthony, Malta: I learnt the English Language at a state school in Malta fifty years ago. Thankfully great emphasis was laid on this most important of languages then and now. Spelling mistakes were anathema. How can people, born and bred in England, be unable to spell words in their own language ? How low can standards in this once Great country get ?
Other - United Kingdom - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
I ask this question last week but I was was referring to American students ,their spelling and grammar is terrible . I don't the emphasis is on spelling in schools today like it was when I was a child. We had to read and spell out loud parrot fashion round the class .
2 :
It's much easier to misspell in your own language. Instead of seeing each word as a collection of letters, you see it as a unit in itself. This makes it much easier to spell poorly. In any case, it's ridiculous. I went to a below average state school. I spell perfectly.
3 :
i don't think i have a problem with spelling or grammar. Sometimes i just can't be bothered (especially on here) to spell and punctuate correctly, which is just pure laziness. if i'm writing an essay or a doing a piece of academic work, then i think the majority of people can pull their finger out and write to a good standard. however there is a large amount of young children growing up today who do not have adequate reading and writing abilities, and i think it's down to modern day schooling.
4 :
People who learn English as their first language speak and write the vernacular version . . . A textbook gives a much more formally standardized "education" than does real life. There is also the factor that foreigners feel pressure to make up for other aspects of speaking the language (like heavy accents, etc.) My grandmother was a Norwegian immigrant and was very strict with her kids on grammar because she herself had a thick accent, which held a certain social stigmatism in her day. I'm an American who has taught English as a foreign language in China and here in the U.S. and I definitely agree that overall my students' spelling is much better than that of native peers their same age in the U.S. I'm not saying either way is better, but the differences are interesting nonetheless.
5 :
I ask myself this question every day! I think that it is just pure laziness. BUT, It isn't just the English/British speakers that write and talk this way... It makes me cringe when I see what Americans do to the English language. When did problems become "issues"? The word 'like' used like several times in like every sentance! GRRRR. Also, missing the word AND from dates and numbers. 2008 becomes Two thousand eight. What? Sorry to go off on one. You are not alone.

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Tuesday, July 1, 2014

A question to Teacher of English as a foreign language.?


A question to Teacher of English as a foreign language.?
Hi :) I'm a student of English Philology living in Poland, Europe. I have some questions concerning my tomorrow's lesson. That is, I have to prepare vocabulary lesson about job&work for students learning English as their L2 and being on intermediete level. I have no idea how to start the lesson - can you think of any good and interesting warm-up? I would also like to do with them some reading and listening. Can you think of any interesting activities with the use of visuals or any other aids? I'm so nervous because I'm in the Foreign Language Teacher Training College and this is going to be my first lesson ever! I think I have no vocation for being a teacher of English - been here just because I love learning English ;) so need your help!! Thanks a lot :)
Teaching - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
The first thing to do is relax and be confident. You know more than they do. I would start my class with a sort of activity that taps into their previous knowledge about whatever you are teaching. Some trivia questions might do the trick, or you may chose to perform a game. Keep in mind not to get carried away by these activities and you should allocate no more than 10 minutes. Then you can explain the new vocabulary by interacting with the students, or by model ling it (have a volunteer from the class and work with him). That's what I would do. Remember, being confident is 75% of the work.
2 :
i would need more details about the class: 1. is it an academic program at a college, or an informal conversation class? 2. what do you mean by intermediate? how much training did they have beforehand? is it say the 2nd semester of a 4 semester program, or the 2nd month of a beginner program? 3. does the school stress student-centered instruction, or teacher-centered? in other words, do they expect the students to be active or for you to demonstrate your ability? 4. how will you be evaluated? 5. are you a student in the class itself, or a graduate student doing a practicum?

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Saturday, June 28, 2014

I have university questions about med school. Please help?


I have university questions about med school. Please help?
I am a student from a Central European country, Poland, which now belongs to the EU. I study in the IB system and I'm aiming for studying at an American university, preferably Ivy League. My questions are: 1) Do I have a chance of getting in? I have always had very good results academically. I finished my freshmen year with a 6.1 average out of possible 7.0. I did very good in my exams, scoring 5/6 and 6/6 in every of them except one where I had 4/6. I got awards for outstanding achievement in mathematics, art and humanities. I participated in three after-school activities and have a lot of interests like painting, writing, traveling, windsurfing and others. I plan on getting even higher results academically in my sophomore year, also participating in more after-school activities and doing MUN to widen the range of my interests. I've also had a quite interesting storyline of life. 2) What are the financial policies of Ivy League universities? I heard that Ivy League colleges first accept the student, and then they worry about their finances, and that many students' tuition is covered entirely by the school. Is this true? How does it work? 3) Which of the Ivy League colleges is the easiest/hardest to get into? 4) I plan on either going to med school or interior design, or maybe even a more humanities-related subject if I get into Ivy League. But my biggest area is dental medicine. 5) Currently, I’m in the IB system, which guarantees that you will get into most universities without exams (if you finish, of course). If I get an IB Diploma, do I have to take SATs to get into Ivy League? 6) What are other great universities in the United States or United Kingdom, or generally in Europe, that are on the educational level of Ivy League? If you've got anything else to add, or you are a graduate of any Ivy League college, please feel welcome to share your thoughts with me. Thanks!
Higher Education (University +) - 1 Answers
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1 :
Hi, The Ivy League consists of the finest institutions known to man. I don't know how your exams work, but the schools are very strict about admissions exams. I think you would have to take at least the SAT, maybe more. IB is not considered much in the Ivy League, it is a usual standard for the students. The schools are very competitive, but your test scores and your unique situation may get you admission. Good luck!

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Saturday, June 14, 2014

i need you help and feedback on this essay!!?


i need you help and feedback on this essay!!?
This is for a scholarship, please point out any mistakes, even content related. THANKS!!!!! When at the age of thirteen I stepped into a plane heading for America, I had no idea of what lay ahead of me. My parents repeatedly told me that in the United States I would have a better future, and a chance to pursue a fulfilling career. In Poland, I was always a good student, but in America I had to do more than excel at schoolwork. I had to conquer the challenge of learning a new language and assimilating myself to a distinct culture. Fortunately, I was blessed with a caring, motivating family and an education that I learned to love and appreciate. My family always stressed the impact of learning, and the results that a college education can bring. However, I did not decide to go to college because it might grant me prestige or a better financial status. For me, learning is a joy in itself and I think that it celebrates human dignity. Reason makes people commit moral actions, which in turn contribute to peace and order in society as a whole. College so far has shown me how wide the horizons of knowledge really are, and how much more there is still to learn. I have a strong urge to complete my education with a master or a doctoral degree. I exactly remember when I was four years old and my grandmother thought me how to read. It was probably the best gift anyone could give me. Since then I began collecting books and uncovering new realms of imagination. It is mostly my love for reading that made me dream of becoming an English major. I think that if I can become a literature professor and translate this wisdom into others’ lives, then I can shape them into better human beings. What’s more, I would receive enormous satisfaction from constantly teaching and learning. When I volunteered at a kindergarten there was nothing more satisfying to me than seeing a spark of insight on a child’s face. This scholarship would be extremely helpful because my family’s funds are limited.Although my parents received college degrees in Poland, their inability to speak English lowered their chances of getting good jobs. Nevertheless, they inspired me to work hard and to dedicate myself to helping others. Being from a different country does not discourage me from learning, on the contrary it motivates me to be outstanding. The fear that I experienced when I walked into that plane five years ago, had passed. Now I am left with motivation, curiosity and a dream of an influential career that I have yet to fulfill.
Homework Help - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
good, except a larger vocabulary might help, im 13 and a half and I use more intricate words in my writing than you did, but I generally like your style though there isn't much dictation over the reader's mind and point of view when reading this.
2 :
Its' good, but I corrected your mistakes. When at the age of thirteen, I stepped onto a plane heading for America. I really had no idea of what lay ahead of me. My parents repeatedly told me that in the United States I would have a better future, and a chance to pursue a fulfilling career. In Poland, I was always a good student, but in America I had to do more than excel at schoolwork. I had to conquer the challenge of learning a new language and assimilating myself to a distinct culture. Fortunately, I was blessed with a caring, motivating family and an education that I learned to love and appreciate. My family always stressed the impact of learning, and the results that a college education can bring. However, I did not decide to go to college because it might grant me prestige or a better financial status. For me, learning is a joy in itself and I think that it celebrates human dignity. Reason makes people commit moral actions, which in turn contribute to peace and order in society as a whole. College so far has shown me how wide the horizons of knowledge really are, and how much more there is still to learn. I have a strong urge to complete my education with a master or a doctoral degree. I exactly remember when I was four years old and my grandmother taught me how to read. It was probably the best gift anyone could give me. Since then I began collecting books and uncovering new realms of imagination. It is mostly my love for reading that made me dream of becoming an English major. I think that if I can become a literature professor and translate this wisdom into other peoples' lives, then I can shape them into better human beings. What’s more, I would receive enormous satisfaction from constantly teaching and learning. When I volunteered at a kindergarten there was nothing more satisfying to me than seeing a spark of insight on a child’s face. This scholarship would be extremely helpful because my family’s funds are limited. Although my parents received college degrees in Poland, their inability to speak English lowered their chances of getting good jobs. Nevertheless, they inspired me to work hard and to dedicate myself in helping others. Being from a different country does not discourage me from learning; on the contrary it motivates me to be outstanding. The fear that I experienced when I walked onto that plane five years ago had passed. Now I am left with motivation, curiosity and a dream of an influential career that I have yet to fulfill. ~This is a wonderful essay and I wish you the best of luck! You only had a few grammatical mistakes, but the rest is fine~

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Saturday, June 7, 2014

I have university questions...?


I have university questions...?
I am a student from a Central European country, Poland, which now belongs to the EU. I study in the IB system and I'm aiming for studying at an American university, preferably Ivy League. My questions are: 1) Do I have a chance of getting in? I have always had very good results academically. I finished my freshmen year with a 6.1 average out of possible 7.0. I did very good in my exams, scoring 5/6 and 6/6 in every of them except one where I had 4/6. I got awards for outstanding achievement in mathematics, art and humanities. I participated in three after-school activities and have a lot of interests like painting, writing, traveling, windsurfing and others. I plan on getting even higher results academically in my sophomore year, also participating in more after-school activities and doing MUN to widen the range of my interests. I've also had a quite interesting storyline of life. 2) What are the financial policies of Ivy League universities? I heard that Ivy League colleges first accept the student, and then they worry about their finances, and that many students' tuition is covered entirely by the school. Is this true? How does it work? 3) Which of the Ivy League colleges is the easiest/hardest to get into? 4) I plan on either going to med school or interior design, or maybe even a more humanities-related subject if I get into Ivy League. 5) Currently, I’m in the IB system, which guarantees that you will get into most universities without exams (if you finish, of course). If I get an IB Diploma, do I have to take SATs to get into Ivy League? 6) What are other great universities in the United States or United Kingdom, or generally in Europe, that are on the educational level of Ivy League? If you've got anything else to add, or you are a graduate of any Ivy League college, please feel welcome to share your thoughts with me. Thanks!
Higher Education (University +) - 1 Answers
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1 :
I know a few current Columbia University students from Warsaw and Krakow. I recommend you search for them on facebook and then just ask them. I'm sure they would help a fellow countryman out.

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