Remembering how to spell new words

I have recently been on holiday Morocco and I’ve just come back and had a look at Andy and Luke’s recent blog posts. I saw that there was quite a lot of vocabulary to remember so I thought I’d give you some advice on spelling English words.

Remember English is not a phonetic language meaning that the sounds made do not always match the way the words are written and the combinations of letters that are used. This means that both pronouncing new words and learning to spell them can be difficult at times. When you come across a new word to spell try this method.

1. LOOK – Sounds obvious I know but spend a bit of time looking at the word. How can you break it into smaller bits / syllables?? Do any of the bits remind you of the patterns of letters from other words? Pay attention to prefixes and suffixes.
2. THINK – Think about the parts of the words which might cause problems - double letters for instance, or a vowel that isn't pronounced as you would expect or combinations of vowels.
3. COVER – Cover the word or close your eyes. Try to see it in your head. Look again if you need to.
4. WRITE – Write the word down without looking back, if it doesn’t look right try another way and compare with your first attempt.
5. CHECK – Check to see if you're right. If not, look carefully at where you went wrong and try again.

Some more advice

• Whenever you have to copy a new word from the blackboard, from a book, or from the dictionary, always try to write the whole word in one go. Don't keep looking back after every few letters.
• Try finger-writing: while you're THINKing about the word, pretend to write it with your finger, on your desk or on your hand.
• Try to notice common patterns e.g prefixes and suffixes / words with the same sound.
• Break the word down into syllables and chunks and say these in your head as they are spelt not as the word sounds e.g. together to - get - her

I hope you find this method and advice useful. English spelling is not easy and native speakers often make mistakes. Don't worry if your spelling isn't perfect and remember, if you use a computer always use your spell check.

A postcard from South Africa

Hello everyone! Having just returned from my holidays in South Africa, I thought I'd fill you in on a few bits and bobs that you might find interesting about the country.

Did you know that as well as English, there are ten other official languages in South Africa? Although English is the country's lingua franca, it is only the fifth most commonly spoken language. In fact, if you are of Dutch descent, you would probably understand much of Afrikaans, a very widely spoken language (especially in the west of the country) which has its roots in 17th century Dutch.

When most people think of South Africa, they probably think of its troubled and often turbulent past, but the South Africa of today is a modern, vibrant society which, despite it's many problems, attracts almost ten million visitors annually. Of course, this trend looks set to continue with the country hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We visited the stadium in Cape Town and it is an amazing building in a fantastic location with the famous Table Mountain as a backdrop. I hope that the tournament is a success, both on and off the field.

We spent most of our time in Cape Town, though we also travelled around the Western Cape from the coast to the desert! Everywhere we went we were given a very warm welcome, had great weather, ate delicious food and visited some amazing places. In other words, the perfect holiday!

Glossary

to fill sby in to update sby, or to give them some new information
bits and bobs random assortment of things (informal)
lingua franca a common language used by speakers of different languages (from Latin)
to be of Dutch descent to come from The Netherlands
turbulent difficult, unsettled, sometimes violent
annually every year
backdrop the scenery behind something
warm welcome a friendly welcome

Social Event: The Comedy Night

Last week, as part of our weekly social programme, I accompanied a group of students on a visit to a stand-up comedy night in a local pub. Although I have been to lots of comedy shows before, the students had never attended such a night. It was their first experience of live stand-up comedy in London, and one which I am sure was not only fun but also good for their English.

First of all, what is stand-up comedy? It is very popular here in the UK as well as in other English speaking countries, but as far as I know it is not so common in other countries. So, if you are not familiar with stand-up, let me briefly outline its features:

It is performed by one person each time: a stand-up comedian who stands up on stage and talks to the audience
The only aim of the performance is to make people laugh
The comedian doesn't use a script (unlike in theatre plays), and they often improvise and ask the audience questions
Sometimes the comedian will pick on members of the audience, but it is just for fun
They share personal stories and experiences with the audience, as well as talking about recent news stories or politics
The night is hosted by a compere or MC who introduces the acts and warms up the crowd

Secondly, what was our comedy night like? Well, at the beginning of the evening we went to a lovely pub which is in walking distance from school and had a drink. There we talked and shared information about our different cultures. I was curious about the role of comedy in the cultures of other countries. I was interested to see what they would think about the performance and whether they would understand everything. The students were also curious about what the comedians would say, and how much of it they would catch. Then we walked to the comedy venue where we ate some food and waited for the performance to start. The show took place in a small room in a pub, where there were rows of seats for the audience, a small stage, a light and a microphone. The students were a little bit nervous because they were worried that the comedians might ask them difficult questions.

During the show, the students laughed and had a good time. I was pleased because they managed to understand quite a lot, although when a comedian from Scotland took the stage, the students didn't understand a word because of his strong accent. He was very funny though, particularly his slapstick routine about London pigeons. One of the comedians did ask the students some questions and I was glad to see that they answered without being too shy. What a confidence booster!

It was great to see the students enjoying some real British entertainment, and it really was a good way to practise their English. In my opinion, if you can understand stand-up comedy, you will be able to understand all the nuances and subtleties of English as a spoken language, and it comes with another reward - laughter.

So, in conclusion, I highly recommend that learners of English experience some stand-up comedy for themselves. Not only is it good for your listening, it is also a great insight into the culture of the English language, and a fantastic way to enjoy yourself while doing it.

If you would like to find out more about stand-up, then you can click here to listen to a conversation I had with a friend recently.

To find out more about stand-up comedy shows in London, click here.

a script = the written words of a performance (used in plays, films, television shows)

to improvise = to perform without any preparation, to make it up on the spot

to pick on someone = to make fun of someone, to say things about someone in order to make other people laugh

compere or MC = the person who hosts an entertainment event and introduces the other performers. MC means Master of Ceremonies

to be curious about something = interested in learning more about

to catch something = hear and understand

didn't understand a word = understood nothing

slapstick = physical comedy

a routine = a part of a comedy performance

pigeons = birds which are very common in London, as well as in many other cities

a confidence booster = something which 'boosts' (pushes and improves) your confidence

nuances and subtleties = specific little details

a reward = a good thing you get as a result of doing something difficult/worthwhile

insight = a deeper understanding

brave = courageous

elsewhere = somewhere else

Image: www.dailycomedy.com

Courses

Every week at the school we have new courses starting. This week the Young Lawyers courses started. It’s a three week course designed for newly qualified lawyers and law students, to give them the specialised language that they will need for their careers. It's the second time we have run this course this year and it's usually very popular.

Also at Holland Park this week we’ve been running Communication Skills for Bankers. This intensive one week course is for experienced banking and finance specialists who receive English language skills training within the context of banking and finance.

At our Westcroft Square centre, a new seven week Intensive General English course started, as well as a seven week English for University course. We have also just started a six week IELTS preparation course. The course is designed to prepare students for the IELTS exam, which includes practice of the test and strategies which will help them to succeed.

Training the Trainers

At the London School of English we often have Teacher Development sessions.  These are an opportunity to share ideas and improve the way we, the trainers, deliver our lessons.  Today Ben and I led the session which was all about using technology in the classroom.  In the picture above you can see Ed and Andy, two of our trainers, checking out http://www.sporcle.com/, a website I previously wrote about here.

We think this is a really important part of what we do at the school, because anything that can make learning English more interesting and stimulating improves the learning experience. 

It's quite strange teaching your peers.  No matter how much experience you have teaching English, nothing quite prepares you for being in a classroom full of other trainers!  Here's a picture of our handout, showing some of the tricks of the trade that we shared today.

I personally found it all quite nerve-wracking, but overall Ben and I thought it went well.  I think that our colleagues found it useful and productive, and hopefully the results of our work will soon be seen in a classroom near you!

Glossary

to lead a session/workshop  to be responsible for teaching/organising something.
to check out   to look at/study something (informal)
peers  people who do the same as you e.g. workmates or classmates
tricks of the trade  useful information or skills based on a certain area of work
nerve-wracking  something that makes you nervous or anxious