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I just made my second video which is a continuation of my first video on pronouncing vowels. This second video provides extra practice in pronouncing vowel sounds which can be written in different ways in English. (For example, “call”, “saw”, “bought” and “lost” all contain the same vowel sound!) Let me know if this is useful to you.
I am already planning my next video which will show some interesting things about English rhythm. Stay tuned!
So many students hope to improve their English by memorizing lots of words. I tried this too, when I was studying French. There were two problems for me. First, I could not remember most of the words after a very short time. The more I studied, the more I forgot! Much worse, I did not know how to use the words I did remember, so I ended up making so many mistakes. Here is some advice I gave my students long ago. Please read this (click here)and tell me what you think!
Here is my Quote of the Week. Be sure to leave comments at the end. I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts!
“If you can dream it, you can do it.” - Walt Disney
Language Note: In this case, the word “it” means “something” or “anything”.
What did Walt Disney dream? Did he dream of a world populated by a funny mouse and other animals? He made that dream come to life in Disney Land. At the same time, he also brought many dreams to people around the world. Two questions come to mind:
1) Do you think it is always true that we can do whatever we dream? Can you think of any truly impossible dreams?
2) What are three possible dreams you can think of for yourself? They don’t have to be realistic dreams at this time in your life. Let your imagination run wild!
For me, if I really let my imagination run wild, if I really let myself dream the impossible dream, I would dream of being a blues guitarist. I like the hard, fast, soulful sound of an electric guitar playing the sad sound of the blues. I suppose I also could dream of being a professional athlete. (I still remember the time when I was a boy of about 7 and our teacher asked us to write about what we wanted to be when we grow up – what kind of job did we want to do. One boy wrote about being a baseball player. I thought he was crazy! Baseball is a game, not a job! How could the teacher let the boy write about playing a game as a job? It took me many years to understand that.) On a more global level, I sometimes dream about ending world hunger. I once volunteered for a group that was working to help hungry people around the world. We not only asked about donations, we also educated people about the need for action. Now I feel the world is too cold, and people are too selfish, to really help enough, but I can still dream…
Anyway, those are my dreams. I’m looking forward to hearing yours!
I am writing an “ebook” - an “electronic book” for my students. I hope my students will give it to their friends, and their friends will give it to THEIR friends, and so on. Using this kind of “viral marketing” (it is like a cold virus!), I hope my ebook will become wildly popular. Do you think my “Copymust Warning” (see below) will be misunderstood by many students? Of course, I mean it as a joke, but I wonder if students can understand it or not! I’m looking forward to hearing your opinion!
COPYMUST WARNING!
The following ebook MAY BE COPIED and given to ALL of your friends!
By reading this ebook, you agree that you MUST give it to your friends! Failure to give it to at least five friends will result in Teacher Joe hunting you down and making you pay. Do not take this warning lightly – send this ebook to your five best friends who are learning English. And make sure they also send it to five friends. If your five best friends are not learning English, send it to five not-so-good friends. If you have no friends, read it out loud to your pet. If you have no pets, go outside and read it out loud to anyone passing by. You can even read it in your pyjamas, I don’t care. Just do it! (Right now, please. I’m getting old and am in a hurry to become famous.)
You have been warned!!
Of course, there is no easy answer to this question. I think it is useful to look at an example of a good post now and then. I really liked this post from Gloria, which tells an interesting story. One thing that makes it stand out is that it’s personal. I can identify with her feeling and understand her reactions to the French coach. Please go to her post and give her a comment, to encourage her to keep on writing!
Hey, I just made my first video ever! It’s a video on pronouncing English vowel sounds. Even if you already speak English well, please check it out (click the link below) and give me some feedback. If people think it’s good, I’ll make more in the future.
During my five plus years in Beijing, I have passed by the Drum Tower more than a hundred times. Yesterday, finally, I went inside. I learned about the way the Drum Tower, and the nearyby Bell Tower, were used for time-keeping in the past. There are also some other kinds of ancient time-keeping devices on display next to many large, traditional drums. I learned that the first Drum Tower was build in 1272. It was destroyed twice and the current building was built in 1420.
My visit to the Drum Tower was far more interesting than a typical visit to Wangfujing. I enjoyed learning a bit about history but the best thing was the view. From the second floor, you can see south to Jingshan Park. To the west of the park you can see the dome of the new Beijing Performance Arts Centre and get a good view of Hou Hai, one of the ponds where emperors used to play and where young people now come to drink on the weekends. The “Fragrant Hills”, to the far west of Beijing, were visible yesterday, a sign that maybe Beijing’s pollution is in fact being reduced. To the north is the Bell Tower, just a short walk from the Drum Tower. To the east is Beijing’s prospering Chaoyang District, including the tallest buildings in the city.
It was a worthwhile visit, though I recommend going on a clear day. I think you’ll enjoy the view!
Here is an example of how NOT to learn English. Watch the whole video - it is very funny! Click here to watch.
Trying to memorize key phrases, whether it is something funny like “Spare me my life” or something ordinary such as “I am fine thank you, and you”, can be useful, but much more important is “interaction”. That is why we have comments on our blogs. By interacting with each other, we learn much more - not only do we practice sentences, we practice how to use them well to communicate successfully. So, please write your comment below - what do you think of this video? What do you do to learn English well?
Here’s another favorite quote of mine:
“The best time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining.” - John F Kennedy
Very often, I put off doing things. I mean, I should do something today, but I decide to wait until tomorrow. And sometimes I wait another day, then another, and then another. Putting things off like this is called “procrastination”. The first three letters of that word look like “professional” and if there is anyone who is a “professional crastinator”, it’s me! As an example, there is a Procrastinators Club in my hometown. When I was back home two years ago, in the summer of 2006, they were planning on having their 2003 annual meeting. However, I could not attend because I had always put off becoming a member. It didn’t matter as they postponed their meeting until early 2007, but the point is, I put things off too frequently. Often, I pay a big price. When some difficult problem comes up, it’s often because I did not prepare for a “rainy day” (a problem) when it was sunny. When it’s sunny, in other words, when I have no problems at all, I want to enjoy myself, and so I don’t get important things done.
As I mentioned in my entry of February 7th, I have the dream of being able to “Teach from the Beach”. About 7 or 8 years ago, when my life was sunshiny and bright, however, I did not “fix my roof”. I did not learn the skills I needed, I did not prepare for the day when I could live without a full-time job. Now I work at a full-time job which is not bad, but it’s not like life at the beach! (Where’s that long-legged bikini-clad woman I’ve always dreamed of? Not in MY office!) But now it’s time to get ready for the future. Today is as good a day as any. What are you doing to prepare for your future? Do you have any leaky roofs (problems in your life) that need to be fixed? What are they? Maybe if you tell us your difficulties, someone here can help you solve it. At the very least, you’ll start thinking about your problem yourself, and when the rainy days come, you’ll be ready!
Today I have a funny quote for you. What do you think of the sentence below?
“If your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep will be your downfall.”
I like the quote because it’s true, but I also like the play on words. “Outgo” is not a real word, but we can guess what it means here by comparing it to “income” which is the money you get from your job. (When we work, money “comes in”, right?) The word “upkeep” means to keep your life style - eating the foods you like to eat, living in a nice house or apartment, driving a nice car or buying the latest fashions, etc. The meaning of “downfall” should be obvious - if you fall down, it is not a good thing!
So, what do you think about money?
