Learn from Many Things

Learning a second language can be a less daunting task if you use the appropriate resources, whether it is in the classroom or on the Internet. One website that I highly recommend for English learners and language educators is ManyThings.org. This site offers the ultimate English learning experience, not only considering the wide selection of topics to explore, but more importantly it can help students build confidence by applying what they learn and what they know to real-life situations.

The layout of this website can be described as elegantly simple. The links and written text on the homepage are neatly organized within boxed lines. You can easily find interesting topics to learn by clicking on the links found at the top, left, and right side of the homepage. Students of any age and educational background can greatly benefit from the focus on different aspects of English including speaking/pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Although it may take some time to familiarize yourself with the sea of links to find specific topics, there are plenty of "gems" within the site that make it a worthwhile learning experience.

Audio Podcasts: This site allows you to listen to audio podcasts while reading along with the written texts. This method of learning integrates awareness for your reading speed, accuracy, fluency, and listening skills. The lesson topics are plenty, ranging from animals and health to sports and history.

Themed Videos: Sometimes, you may just want to learn something from watching a YouTube video. ManyThings.org provides a rich collection of ESL videos with a wide range of topics. You can find the link under the drop-down category "Listening & Speaking" which is located on the top row.

Interactive Games: This is an excellent way to review your word knowledge, apply what you have learned, and creates an excuse to have fun while learning! Among the educational games are crossword puzzles, matching games, the all-time favorite Hangman, and scrambled words. These can be found under the category "Vocabulary".

American Culture: Learning a language entails learning a culture. This site provides insightful resources to help second language learners “blend in with the crowd” by increasing awareness of English idioms, proverbs, slang, and even how to read English signs. These links can be found under the "Other" category.

During any educational journey, it is important to set specific goals to accurately track your progress and maintain a trend of continual improvement. Maybe your goal is to increase your vocabulary knowledge by studying word lists, or improve your pronunciation by practicing with phonics... however you decide to achieve your goals, remember that being creative and staying determined can go a long way to help you reach your fullest potential.

Plug into the "Tech" Era of Language Learning and Language Teaching

The general realm of education is reaching a new level of cool. Learning to read, write, and improve spoken fluency has never been more fun than using smart technology and interactive games, instead of being limited to "rote memorization" techniques. Reports of elementary schools giving iPads to the students as a learning tool makes me ponder how my primary school years with somewhat lacking technological variety may have affected my outlook on learning styles. With the lightning-fast pace of digital advancements in our daily lives, I have noticed an upswing in the use of technology to supplement language learning and language teaching. As part of a Multilingual Writing group, I have come across many excellent resources that you can use to implement into your own learning or teaching process/curriculum. I will explore, analyze, and share some thoughts of useful websites, products, etc. in the coming weeks.

Dreaming in Cursive: The Art of Curls and Loops

If you reflect on the many years spent in grade school and beyond, you have probably come across a few close encounters of the illegible kind... that is, at least one situation where you unwillingly held a piece of paper literally millimeters from your nose, with furrowed eyebrows, trying to decipher a particular word from the mass of pen ink flowing across the paper. With the upswing of using technology as a means to communicate with dear ones across the globe (via typing on the keyboard and voice/video chats on Skype), the almost seemingly obsolete form of writing letters to penpals – the kind where you might buy some fancy stationary paper, use glittery ink, and mail the letter first-class – is quickly becoming a form of lost art.

Maybe all those years of having to rewrite words one by one due to unreadable penmanship, repeating sentence after sentence with a hand cramp until the lines eventually float into your most fantastic dreams, really was a lost cause. Do we need to worry so much about how legible our writing is, or that of the children in grade school? As usual, the debate pendulum swings to both sides. In recent news, it was suggested that cursive writing will soon be removed from some states' educational curriculum. While some may argue that written legibility is not as important as content, there are two main reasons why penmanship lessons should stick around:

Improve critical thinking. When you physically pick up a pen or pencil and write your thoughts on paper, you are training your mind and body to formulate ideas in a logical sequence when you are writing. This is often termed freewriting or brainstorming, to get past the common phenomenon of writer's block. If you focus and concentrate on writing words down slowly and neatly, it is more likely you will remember what you write. Conversely, you can type your thoughts a mile a minute, but your mind is more likely focused on correct spelling rather than the written content.

Essential Art Form. What is in an autograph? Hollywood is a prime example of artistic writing. Everyone has a different way of symbolizing their name when asked to sign a document, check, or in the case of celebrities, anything tangible offered by the fans. A signature is unique and extremely important to represent personal identity. Cursive is the basis not only for signatures, but also for creative writing that is often observed on greeting cards.

You can call writing with a pen and paper old-school, but it brings back memories of the simple times in life. As busy professionals and students in the digital age, we are often bombarded with emails and other tasks requiring a quick typed-up response. Training the fingers to type out logical thoughts is one thing, training the mind to effectively understand and remember is another. Following the dotted lines for both regular print and cursive not only fosters appreciation for different writing styles, but sets a strong foundation for developing essential critical reading, thinking, and writing skills to accomplish our daily tasks.

The Secret Language of Advertising

Apparently, mind manipulation is not only found in Hollywood movies and supernatural happenings. In almost every minute of each day, we are constantly hounded by subliminal messaging, the phenomenon of being (un)consciously influenced by hidden messages in the least expected places. A split-second peek at a passing ad can make you want to satisfy your cravings for popcorn and soda at the theaters, or purchase the latest brand-name apparel. I recently found out about the following two logos that show hidden messaging:



Sure, it says BR to represent "Baskin Robbins", but do you notice the color difference? There's a number in there!



The arrow looks like a smile, that's for sure. But it extends from 'a' to 'z'; a clever design to perhaps indicate Amazon's wide range of purchasable products? Maybe it is up to individual interpretation.

Friendship or Relationship?

What is the difference between a friendship and a relationship? There must be some kind of distinction, but why I find this so complicated to define, I'm not so sure. Friendship seems more casual, hanging out together, no obligations to express any deeper feelings. But a relationship can mean one of two things; having relations with someone, just as friends, or the romantically-charged aspect of being a couple. More affection and lust over someone else? The boundary of friendship sure is a fine line that causes mixed feelings and interpretations.

What's so Funny? A Closer Look behind Jokes and the Art of Joke Telling

If you love to laugh, reading a good joke or watching a seasoned comedian in a live performance can get your laughing workout on a roll. You’re probably aware of the occasional rim shot in a live comedic performance, or more commonly in talk shows, signaling the moment where the audience should laugh to acknowledge that a joke has been made. Or more specifically, this would be the most crucial point of delivering any joke intended to amuse an audience, typically known as the punchline.

But even though all jokes have a punchline in one form or another, some jokes seem to fare better than others. There are undoubtedly different types of jokes – some are specifically in the form of question-answer (i.e. “Why did the chicken cross the road?” / “To get to the other side”), some are in the form of knock-knock jokes, while others involve someone or something walking into a bar and hilarity tends to ensue from the inevitable conversations that occur.

So what exactly is involved in a good joke? There are three main components: the introduction, the set-up, and the punchline. Comics tend to begin their routines by introducing one specific topic and sticking with it for the whole delivery; stand-alone jokes tend to begin with one (or more) main characters. The set-up involves a more detailed yet brief rundown that covers a conversation and/or situation, which eventually leads (hopefully without a hitch) to the punchline, normally taking place at the very end of the joke. And perhaps to no surprise, a large majority of jokes rely on the clever and witty twist on word play or puns, requiring the audience to be quick on their feet to catch on to the intended meaning of a play on words. What’s so funny about jokes? You can be the judge.

To Be or Not Too Bee: The Distinctions of Ten English Homophones... because Meaning Matters!

English spelling is quite frankly a nightmare for many people. Just a point of curiosity: I am not aware of any other culture where spelling bee competitions are held among the younger generation, which goes to show how random English words can be. If spelling were easier, such competitions would surely be less entertaining. The truth is that becoming a good speller takes time and certainly patience! The obscurity of English spelling is most likely attributed to the fact that the English language is a “melting pot” of many different languages combined, constructed largely from the influences of Romance languages with Anglo-Saxon roots including French, Italian, Spanish, and German. This has undoubtedly resulted in the plethora of English spelling rules that can be tough to remember. You know, those rules that have been drilled into us in grade school, like: “You put the ‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’” – such as in the words receive and deceive.

Even more compelling is the existence of words that sound the same when spoken aloud but are spelled differently depending on context to express different meanings – these words are known as homophones. The following five spelling distinctions can be useful to keep in mind to avoid using the unintended words when writing something important, or just to write grammatically as much as possible! It should be noted that there are many other homophones in English, but these are just ten to start with.

1. Their, There, They’re

Their = Possessive pronoun; refers to a third party (e.g. them).
I went to their house in the evening.

There = Noun; a location.
My friend wanted to go to New York, but he could not travel there because of the snow storm.

They’re = Contraction of they + are.
They’re going to purchase a house in Hawaii next month.


2. Too, To

Too = Adverb; in addition; also.
I am interested in singing, too!

To = Preposition; to express a direction or destination.
They wanted to go to the movies after dinner.


3. Affect, Effect

Affect = Verb; to produce a change in something else.
The rain affected the size of the crops.

Effect = Noun; something that is produced by a cause.
The criticism of his musical performance had a devastating effect on his confidence.


4. Passed, Past

Passed = Adjective; to successfully pass something.
My friend passed the test with flying colors.

Past = Adjective; something that existed before the present time.
I have experienced many great memories in the past.


5. Capital, Capitol

Capital = Noun; refers to the city/town representing the head of a state; money or property.
The capital of California is Sacramento.

Capitol = Noun; a building.
I visited the state capitol in Washington D.C. during the summer.


Definitions refereced by: Dictionary.com