Speak English Better

A Great Post on Defining A Business English Program

2012-01-06T11:16:00.000-05:00

Author Paul Emmerson reflects on in-work and pre-experience Business English.

What is Business English? A naïve question to be sure, but a good one to step back and ask from time to time.
Below, in blue, is a nine-point answer to that question that I wrote along with my colleague Nick Hamilton back in 2000. It was going to be the Introduction to Five Minute Activities for Business English (CUP) but never made it into the book.

You start with a Needs Analysis.
The Needs Analysis leads on to a negotiated syllabus. There is no ‘main’ coursebook, although a selection of coursebook and other material may be used. The classroom tasks and texts are personalized, based around the interests and needs of those particular students.
The syllabus is designed around communication skills (telephoning, meetings, presentations etc.) and business topics (management, marketing, finance etc.), not the English verb tense system.
Language work is more lexical, including collocation and functional language, and less grammatical than General English. Pronunciation is another important area, especially the ability to break up speech into appropriate phrases (phonological chunking) and to use stress to highlight key information.
Teaching methodology includes much use of tasks, role-plays, discussions, presentations, case studies and simulated real-life business situations. Approaches and materials are mixed and matched, but there is unlikely to be a high proportion of conventional Present-Practice lessons where one grammar point provides the main thread of a lesson.
Much language work is done diagnostically following speaking activities. Feedback slots are used for checking, correcting and developing language (Output->Reformulate rather than Input->Practice).
There is use of a range of authentic and business material (magazine articles, off-air video, company documents).
Delivery of the course is different: the students are ‘clients’ with high expectations, the teachers are professional ‘trainers’ (or perhaps even Language Consultants). Teachers and students sit together round a table like in a meeting rather than in the classic GE ‘U’ shape with the teacher at the front. Conversation across the table may develop its own dynamic far removed from the teacher’s lesson plan.
While teachers are expected to be competent as Language Consultants, classroom managers etc. they are usually not expected to be business experts. This is a language course after all, not an MBA. However teachers are expected to have an interest in business, ask intelligent questions, and slowly develop their knowledge of the business world.
- To continue reading this awesome article and discussion, please visit the original link here: http://bebcblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/what-is-business-english-2/

Santa's A Canadian!

2011-12-18T12:17:00.001-05:00

The 20 Most Controversial Rules in the Grammar World | Online College Tips - Online Colleges

2011-12-14T17:49:00.001-05:00

The 20 Most Controversial Rules in the Grammar World | Online College Tips - Online Colleges

Like anything else involving stringent rules and regulations, grammar harbors a hefty share of obsessive fanboys and fangirls who enjoy debating its ins, outs, and other various quirks. So of course controversies break out in academia, the media, and even intimate conversations between friends. Here are a few of the ones that churn stomachs and angry up the blood, in no particular order.

The Oxford Comma
Debates regarding whether the Oxford comma should keep on being used are comparable to those about the death penalty and/or abortion. Seriously. Most grammarians have an opinion on the subject, and their opinion is always right and never wrong ever and also they will use and insistent voice when relaying it.

The pronunciation of "controversial"

Go figure. Americans stand divided over whether to pronounce it "con-truh-VUR-see-yul" or "con-truh-VUR-shal." You don't even have to hop a plane across the pond to take part in the battle. Funny enough, Merriam-Webster's and The American Heritage Dictionary acknowledge both pronunciations. So now that a definitive answer exists, it's time to get back to arguing about whether to call it soda, pop, or coke.

Double negatives

Although grammatically correct, debates regarding the permissibility of double negatives keep flaring up from time to time. Talks apparently originated when linguists pondered acceptance of the often controversial African-American Vernacular English, within which the grammar tweak is quite common. Unsurprisingly, these debates inherently come saddled with some rather unfortunate overtones.

(Hit the link above to see the original blog post and examples for each. I am just re-posting this as per their request. Enjoy!)

Someone's Top 10 Grammar Peeves

2011-12-11T18:07:00.001-05:00

I found this list floating around on Facebook - not sure who created it but it's good enough to share!

English Language Pronunciation Class Description

2011-12-07T11:28:00.001-05:00

Here is a good description of what is involved in a typical pronunciation class or coaching program. Things are usually tailored to the particular English level, industry or work etc. but the main idea is explained clearly here:

English language pronunciation includes all the mechanical functions and skills of language sound production and the specific word pronunciation patterns of the English language in context.
The mechanical functions and skills include placement of the lips, tongue, use of teeth, glottis, expanding or contracting the mouth cavity, use of nasal passages and soft palate, vocal folds, controlling the intake and outflow of air, devoicing, breathing and timing.

English language pronunciation class skills and exercises include initial consonant and vowel pronunciation, syllable pronunciation, individual syllable stress patterns, diphthongs and consonant clusters, initial word pronunciation, syllable stress patterns in words, intonation and timing for words, phrases, clauses, complete sentences, expressions and interjections.

English language pronunciation class can take the form of individual drills or group drills by listening and repeatingthe correct English language pronunciation exercises.

English language pronunciation class can take the form of reading and speaking. Students are expected to read and speak aloud correctly pronouncing each of the words or passages.

Advanced English language pronunciation classes can include accent reduction. Accent reduction can be un-learning incorrect pronunciation and re-learning correct English pronunciation. Accent reduction can also be the initial establishment or correction of pronunciation patterns, speed, timing, stress and intonation.

(For more info please visit the original site here: http://www.eslincanada.com/english/englishclass.php )

Buy a Poppy, Wear a Poppy - Remember

2011-11-03T20:02:00.003-04:00

wear a poppy over your heart!

You will see many people wearing a plastic Poppy (red flower) on their lapel (collar) these days, in Canada, the UK and some parts of the U.S.A.

November 11th is Remembrance Day (Veteran's Day in the US) and it is time to remember the fallen soldiers who have died in battle in our various wars in history. The tradition started after the end of World War 1.

If you are not sure what wearing the poppy symbolizes, I can help.

1 - it is a symbol to remember the fallen soldiers who have fought for your/our country/freedom
2 - you wear it on your left lapel/collar, over your heart, but not on your right side
3 - it is not a symbol supporting war
4 - it is not a peace symbol
5 - it is not a fashion piece
6 - money raised goes to help veterans (returned soldiers) live a little more comfortably
7 - You do not have to be from Canada, UK or USA to wear one. You can wear one to honour your own country's losses in previous war. It is about remembering soldiers, but not only the soldiers from Canada, UK and USA.
8 - It is a personal decision, but not a political or religious one.

I wear a poppy every year, without fail. My grandfather, Harold Phillips, fought in WW II, and survived. His brother was not so lucky. I wear a poppy to honour them and their comrades.

More info can be found here on the Poppy and the history: http://www.legion.ca/Poppy/campaign_e.cfm

A famous poem was written by a Canadian Medic in WWI named John McCrae. The poem is about poppies growing in Flanders Fields. It is called 'In Flanders Fields'.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T19:22:00.000-04:00

Halloween Jack-O-Lantern

(This is a re-print of a blog entry I did in 2009)

Halloween is almost upon us!

I would like to take this opportunity to remind all the readers of this blog that even though it is called 'SpeakEnglishBetter', the blogs' focus is also on learning and understanding culture. Why? Because as I have said a hundred million ka-billion times - English language cannot be used solely as a tool of grammar and spelling. To truly 'speak English better' you must understand the history and culture of English-speaking lands, especially if you are living in one now, permanently or temporarily.

I love Halloween. As kids we got to make our own costumes (with the help of Mom and Dad of course) and go out 'trick or treating' to get a bag full of candy! What more could a North American kid want? (All that sugar is soooo bad for you though....but we didn't care!)

Now as adults we might dress up in costume and go to bars or house-parties to drink instead, or we might stay at home and give out candy to little trick-or-treaters who visit our homes. It's still fun! And we MUST watch scary horror movies as well!

In the olden days, the costumes were 'evil' creatures, like devils, goblins, vampires, ghosts, and any of the other Silver Screen Matinee classic monsters. In the olden-olden days, when Halloween was first being 'developed' as a practice, the idea was to dress yourself up as an evil spirit in order to fool the real evil spirits around, so that they would leave you alone. In fact, did you know that one of the reasons why we have the custom of covering our mouths while we yawn is not just out of politeness, but to avoid 'spirits' entering our bodies? Yes, we humans were very superstitious many years ago!

Anyway, if you would like to learn more about the history of Halloween, including the name, the colours, the costumes, the religious influences and the jack-O-lantern (carved pumpkin) please do a little more reading at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween or start asking folks around you about their experience with Halloween.

Enjoy this rather odd but fun celebration, and do not get sick on too much candy! (or 'sweets' as my British friends would say!)

Happy Halloween!!!

The Beginnings of Halloween (Nat'l Geographic)

2011-10-30T19:14:00.001-04:00

Canadian employers want ‘ethnic’ applicants to do more than study

2011-10-25T10:26:00.000-04:00

Hello Readers,

I've been preaching for years the value of interpersonal skills and understanding cultural expectations when immigrants and foreign workers are looking for a job in Canada. I've met people who think that they will get a job solely based on their impressive education and overseas work experience, as it would be in their home country. They looked at me strange when I helped them put a "Skills and Interests" section on their CV to highlight that they do more than just study, work and sleep.

Back in the day when I used to do career coaching for immigrants I had a 95% success rate of my clients getting a job within 3 months of working with me. I know what the Canadian employers and HR are looking for, and it is more than hard skills. See the related article below please
(From the Vancouver Sun):

A revealing study into how Canadian company recruiters deal with applicants with non-English names is full of surprising results. One of them, which has gone virtually unnoticed (even, apparently, by the researchers), is that employers look much more kindly on applications from people with Chinese or South Asian names — if they show they’ve taken part in extra-curricular activities.

Presumably, the data is suggesting that Canadian employers are wary of the stereotypical ethnic Chinese, East-Asian or South Asian student who tries to live up to his or her parents’ expectations by doing little else but work with tutors to try to score high marks on school exams — with no life outside academic success. Employers have traditionally seemed to fear such job applicants have little or no social/life skills. The topic cries out for further exploration.

The statistical revelation about “extra-curricular” activities is buried in an impressive 50-page research report by University of Toronto researchers Philip Oreopoulos and Diane Dechief. It’s titled “Why do some employers prefer to interview Matthew but not Samir?” I wrote a column last week about this inventive research project, funded by Metropolis B.C. The study is based on the researchers sending out thousands of virtually identical resumes to Canadian employers, changing only the names of the applicants from English-sounding to foreign-sounding.
The reference I saw in the report to the crucial issue of extra-curricular activities was one throw-away sentence on page 45.

That’s where the authors wrote that they found company recruiters were more inclined to call back “ethnically-named applicants” if they had added extracurricular activities to their resume. “This occurs only for those with Canadian education and experience.”

I’m wondering why the University of Toronto scholars didn’t follow up this important piece of data. Maybe they will in the future. To their credit, the researchers did add a lengthy exploration of what Canadian employers seem to expect, or fear, regarding various applicants and their English- or French-language proficiency.

(http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2011/10/24/canadian-employers-want-ethnic-applicants-to-have-done-more-than-study/?utm_source=Exacttarget&utm_medium=Communications&utm_term=HRDaily&utm_content=Email&utm_campaign=hrdaily102511 )

15 Most Butchered Phrases in the English Language

2011-10-21T13:17:00.001-04:00

From http://www.onlinedegree.net/15-most-butchered-phrases-in-the-english-language/

Compared to other languages,English isn't particularly complex. But do other languages have nearly as manysimilar sounding words and phrases? We've all made the mistake of consistentlybutchering a phrase or two, not realizing it until someone had the nerve tocorrect us. Unless you couldn't care less about sounding silly, it's wise todouble check the ones about which you're unsure. Listed below are a few of themost commonly misheard and misunderstood phrases -- those pesky egg-corns andmalapropisms that have multiplied through the years. Avoid these at all costs.

1. "Icouldn't care less" -- not "I could care less:"

It should be noted that phrases do evolve, and thenew way of saying them can become the accepted colloquialism. There is somedebate as to whether or not that should be the case with "could careless," which is recognized by the OxfordDictionary. Even still, the phrase doesn't make sense, as it means that youcare at least a little bit. If you couldn't care less, then you couldn't careat all. There's a clear difference.

2. "A mootpoint" -- not "A mute point:"

According to Merriam-Webstermoot means obsolete, essentially meaning when someone makes "a mootpoint," it's completely worthless to debate. The words sound alike and theincorrect phrase somewhat makes sense -- if you can't hear a point, then what'sit worth? -- But it would be wise to mute the "mute" completely ifyou tend to use the phrase.

3. "For allintents and purposes" -- not "For all intensive purposes:"

This phrase originated in 16th century England whenKing Henry issued the Statute of Proclamations, which was "to all intentsand purposes," allowing him to modify it at his discretion. Eventually itmorphed into "for all intents and purposes," meaning "ineffect." The use of "for all intensive purposes" has increasedin the Internet era, though documented use of it occurred during the 19thcentury.

4. "Nip it in thebud"-- not "Nip it in the butt:"

There's quite a difference between stopping somethingbefore it flowers and biting someone's bum. One refers to ending a problembefore it grows into something bigger; the other is an action that would causeproblems.

5. "Withoutfurther ado" -- not "Without further adieu:"

Ado means "fuss." Adieu means"farewell." From those definitions, you can probably deduct whichmakes more sense. Think Shakespeare's MuchAdo About Nothing. It was much ado about nothing when you stayed up allnight worrying about the results of the exam you eventually found out you aced.

6. "Pique one'sinterest" -- not "Peak one's interest:"

Some may assume "peaking one's interest" iscorrect because you've reached the highest point of their interest. However,"pique" is the correct verb in the phrase, as it means to excite orarouse. In this case, your curiosity has been stimulated.

7. "Deep-seatedbelief" -- not "Deep-seeded belief:"

Something that's "deep-seated" is situatedfar below the surface, according to Merriam-Webster.Of course, a deep seed would also be situated far below the surface.Grammarist.com states the correct phrase comes from horseback riding; notgardening or farming.

8. "Champingat the bit" -- not "Chomping at the bit:"

When you're "champing at the bit," you'reshowing impatience. But it seems that the authorities of the English language-- such as Merriam-Webster's CollegiateDictionary -- have shown patience with the use of "chomping at thebit," which is now more common than the correct phrase, despite the factthat the substitution is inexplicable.

(NOTE fromRic – the authors seemed to have missed the idiomatic understanding that thisphrase ‘chomping at the bit’ refers to a horse that is biting the piece ofrubber in its mouth (the bit) which is attached to the reins. That is why we say ‘chomping’.)

9. "Never ceases toamaze me" -- not "Never seizes to amaze me:"

"Seize" means "to take possessionof," "to attack or overwhelm physically," or "to bind orfasten together with a lashing of small stuff," according to Merriam-Webster, so it obviously doesn'tbelong in this phrase. Nor should it replace "cease" in "ceaseand desist" or "cease fire."

10. "Reap what you sow"-- not "Reap what you sew:"

To "sow" is "to plant a seed forgrowth especially by scattering, " according to Merriam-Webster. To "reap what you sow" is to get whatyou deserve -- whatever grows is the outcome of sowing. A shirt or sweaterwould be the outcome of sewing.

11. "Once in awhile" -- not "Once and a while:"

"Once and a while" yields 6,320,000 resultson Google and a handful of results on Google News. It's a common error, but mostpeople seem to recognize the correct phrase from the incorrect phrase, as"once in a while" yields a hefty 58,000,000 results.

12. "In layman'sterms" -- not "In lame man's terms:"

A layman is someone who lacks specialized knowledgeon a topic. If you're discussing football, and a layman enters the conversationwith useless opinions, then it would be totally lame, man. But it wouldn't becorrect, or nice, to label him a "lame man."

13. "In the midstof" -- not "In the mist of:"

The distorted version of "in the midst of"is a mondegreen, a term for when someone mishears or misinterprets a word."Midst" and "mist" sound very much alike, but obviouslyshouldn't be substituted for one another. "In the midst of" means"in the middle of" or "in the process of," and has nothingto do with getting wet unless water or mist is inserted after the phrase.

14. "Offthe beaten path" -- not "Off the beat and path:"

Venturing away from the path most taken can be anoffbeat move, but you're not venturing "off the beat and path." Thatlittle bed and breakfast 20 miles south of the interstate is "off thebeaten path."

15. "Out-of-bodyexperience" -- not "Outer body experience:"

You can go into "outer space" or have an"out-of-body experience," a sensation in which you float outside ofyour body, but you can't have an "outer body experience." Keep thatin mind if you ever choose to retell the tale of your traveling soul.

English name clear advantage in landing job, researchers find

2011-10-14T09:52:00.001-04:00

English name clear advantage in landing job, researchers find

Origins of 10 Weird American Expressions (idioms)

2011-10-11T10:12:00.000-04:00

Learn the origins of 10 American idioms (expressions, sayings) here:
http://www.bestonlinecolleges.com/blog/2011/the-true-origins-of-10-weird-american-expressions/

Free Gov't Business English Classes for Immigrants

2011-10-06T10:33:00.000-04:00

Free occupation-specific language training courses offered by 13 Ontario colleges will teach you the language and workplace culture skills required to communicate effectively in your job. Gain the communications skills you need to build a successful career in your field. Must have at least intermediate level English. For more information click here:

http://www.co-oslt.org/index.html

The 20 Best Books for Language Lovers | Online College Tips - Online Colleges

2011-09-29T09:41:00.001-04:00

The 20 Best Books for Language Lovers | Online College Tips - Online Colleges

I am re-posting this as it may interest our English Language Lovers out there. Take a peek at some recommended books.

3VC Accent Reduction Program Information

2011-08-21T20:15:00.000-04:00

Demographics of Toronto (Wikipedia)

2011-08-14T11:57:00.001-04:00

This is some interesting info on the demographics of Toronto. Not sure if it's been updates since 2006, but nevertheless - interesting.

The demographics of Toronto make Toronto one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Data released by Statistics Canada as part of the 2006 census indicates that Toronto is more ethnically diverse than Miami, Los Angeles, and New York City. 49.9% of Toronto's population is foreign-born.^[1]

A majority of Torontonians claim their origins from as either in whole or part from England, Scotland and Ireland.

There is a significant population of Afghans, Arabs, Barbadians, Bengalis, Chinese, Colombians, Ecuadorians, Filipinos, French, Germans, Greeks, Grenadians, Guyanese, Hungarians, Indians, Iranians, Italians, Jamaicans, Jews, Koreans, Mexicans, Pakistanis, Poles, Portuguese, Romanians, Russians, Salvadorans, Somalis, Sri Lankans, Tamils, Tibetans, Trinidadians, Ukrainians, Vietnamese, and Vincentians throughout the city.

Neighbourhoods such as Chinatown, Corso Italia, Little India, Greektown, Koreatown, Little Jamaica, Little Portugal and Roncesvalles are examples of these large ethno-cultural populations.^[2].

Christianity is the largest faith group in Toronto's census metropolitan area, with Roman Catholics comprising 33.4% of the population. The Anglican Church and United Church of Canada account for 6.9% each. Other religious groups include Islam (5.5%), Hinduism (4.1%), Judaism (3.5%), Buddhism (2.1%), and Sikhism (1.9%). 16.6% of the population claim they have no religious affiliation.^[3]

While English is the predominant language spoken by Torontonians, Statistics Canada reports that other language groups are significant, including Chinese, Portuguese, Tamil, Arabic, Persian, Pashto, Urdu, Spanish, Punjabi, Somali, and Italian. Canada's other official language, French, is spoken by 1.4% of the population.

For more info please see the original Wikipedia listing here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Toronto

Immigrants' health declines the longer in Canada, especially Chinese: study

2011-08-10T23:31:00.000-04:00

TORONTO - The longer immigrants reside in Canada, the greater their risk of developing cardiovascular disease — and that effect is most pronounced among people of Chinese origin, a study suggests.

Doctors have long known that the longer people stay after immigrating to western countries like Canada, the less healthy they become, said principal investigator Maria Chiu, a doctoral fellow at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.

"What we did not know was whether the degree to which this change happened was different for ethnic groups that lived in Canada."

Using population and health data, Chiu and her co-authors looked at the prevalence of risk factors for heart disease and stroke among immigrants who had lived in Ontario for 15 years or longer, compared to those who had resided in the province for less than 15 years.

They found that longer-term residents exhibited increased risk factors for cardiovascular disease — among them Type 2 diabetes, obesity, smoking and high blood pressure — compared with more recent ethnically matched immigrants.

"And it didn't matter whether you were white, Chinese, South Asian or black, this trend was seen across all the major ethnic groups living in Canada," Chiu said Monday. "We also noticed that the degree to which cardiovascular health declined was different across different ethnic groups."

Canadians of Chinese descent showed the worst decline in heart health over time, she said, followed by whites, blacks and South Asians.

To continue reading this Yahoo! article, please follow this link:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/immigrants-health-declines-longer-canada-especially-chinese-study-041346342.html

Russell Peters - How to Become A Canadian Citizen

2011-07-06T14:39:00.000-04:00

Like most Canadians, I love Russell Peters. HIs ethnic brand of comedy hits the nail on the head! He does great impressions of accents as well! Enjoy!

Is Accent Reduction Helpful?

2011-06-24T09:33:00.001-04:00

Is Accent Reduction Helpful?

Here is a blog post that asks these important questions:
1 - Does accent reduction really work?
2 – Is it really important to reduce my accent? What’s wrong with an accent?
3 – Can I improve my accent from home?

http://www.3vcommunications.ca/is-accent-reduction-helpful/

What's a Canuck and What's a Bruin?

2011-06-14T00:45:00.000-04:00

Hi folks.

This blog post is a little late - I should have written it a while ago, but I was busy watching the Stanley Cup playoffs. Yes I'm referring to our love of hockey, and right now in the NHL there are only 2 teams left - one Canadian and one American.

So if you are currently living or working in one of these countries, or are watching the playoffs because you enjoy hockey, you may be wondering about the strange names of the teams. We have the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins. But what do those names mean?

Well first off - the word Canuck is an old word, and is slang. The exact origins are not clear, but most of the research I've done leads me to believe it was first used to refer to early French-Canadians. However these days Canuck refers to any and all Canadians.

Is it bad, like "Yankee"?

No - 99% of the time we do not take offense to being called a Canuck. It is a soft term, and not only do we have a very good hockey team named the Canucks, but in our early history we had a character, almost like a super hero, named "Johnny Canuck" who would fight off the invaders of Canada and the Nazis during WW11 in comic books. As a matter of fact, the current Vancouver Canucks goalie, crowd-favourite Roberto Luongo, has a picture of Johnny Canuck on his goalie mask! I guess it's for good luck - we'll see soon if it works!

What does Bruin mean? A simple answer is it refers to a bear. It comes from Reynard's fables. How it got to Boston, I'm not sure, but anyway it is a bear. And right now Boston is playing like bears!

Right now the series is tied 3-3, and the teams are travelling back to Vancouver for the final game 7 on Wednesday to see who will win the Stanley Cup for 2011. I of course am rooting for (cheering for) Vancouver. "Go Canucks Go!"

PS - if you are interested in hockey, you can find hockey vocabulary on this blog by searching it. The more words and phrases you know, the more you will enjoy the game.

Complete and Finished - An English Lesson for All

2011-06-01T00:14:00.000-04:00

One of my Russian clients sent me this - enjoy!

*Complete and finished - An English Lesson for All*

No English dictionary has been able to explain the difference between
the two words 'complete' and 'finished' in a way that's so easy to
understand:

Some people say there is no difference between COMPLETE & FINISHED,
but there is:

When you marry the right one, you are COMPLETE....

And when you marry the wrong one, you are FINISHED.....

And when the right one catches you with the wrong one, you are
COMPLETELY FINISHED !!!

Clear writing delivers bottom-line benefits. - Business Communication

2011-05-26T08:35:00.001-04:00

Clear writing delivers bottom-line benefits. - Business Communication

This article was written by an American Business Writing teacher who taught at Harvard. I think you might enjoy the idea of Plain-Talk in writing, but I also know that it would be very hard for you to be the only one in the office doing it, if your current corporate culture uses, shall we say, "long form". ;)

Americans are leading the way with simplifying English writing, spelling and changing the grammar rules. The British probably hate this, and we Canadians are somewhere in the middle on the issue. My personal opinion is that we should try to be as clear as possible in writing, which means simplifying it all where possible. Having said that, we still need Business English templates for use at work, and with those expecting 'formal writing'.

Enjoy the article.

Executive English Coaching is Valuable

2011-05-24T08:39:00.002-04:00

If you a manager, leader or executive, and you have ESL (English as a Second Language), you may need my help. If you have immigrated to the Toronto area, or you are working here for a while, you may have noticed that we 'do things differently' here than what you had read in books.

Culture affects communication in a big big way. How we Torontonians/Canadians/North Americans use slang and cultural references even in our formal speeches can throw off a lot of people not born here. How we use our rhythm and volume of our voice while speaking can be very different from your home country. It might even seem 'too excited' or 'rude'!

Body language is a huge deal here. How you move your arms and hands while at a meeting or giving a presentation can dramatically affect how you are perceived. Are you seen as trustworthy? Sincere? Confident? Or are you viewed as weak, gentle, too humble, or aloof (uncaring)?

If you are concerned about how you sound and present yourself at your job and in your career please connect with me for a free consultation in Toronto. It is not too late to get some very valuable coaching from someone who knows both your culture and ours.

Connect with Coach Ric here: http://www.3vcommunications.ca

Thank you.

YorkRegion Article: Newcomers learn accent reduction

2011-04-27T08:39:00.001-04:00

I usually do not advertise my competitions' websites and press releases, but this is a great article that helps explain why some people want/need accent reduction training, and also some of the benefits. I am available to help you if you need - just contact me by visiting http://www.CommunicationCoach.ca and setting up a free consultation.

Here is the great article:

YorkRegion Article: Newcomers learn accent reduction

"Should I Get Accent Reduction Lessons?"

2011-04-08T09:20:00.000-04:00

This is a very common question I hear from immigrants and overseas workers as we discuss their coaching options. Though everyone's case is unique, here is my general advice:

If your (heavy) accent is stopping you from being confident, from making friends and/or from making (more) money, then YES. Do some accent reduction for your own peace of mind and to become a more confident speaker.

If your accent does not interfere with daily communications, and people are not constantly asking you to repeat yourself or say it again in a different way, then you are probably okay. You still may choose to modify your accent anyway, but at least you should know that it is not a pressing issue that will halt your career.

How can you modify and reduce your accent?
1. Watch English movies and TV. Rent DVD's of shows and sit-coms and play them over and over again, with and without English subtitles.
2. Listen to the radio and/or sing English songs.
3. Meet native English speakers and practice.
4. Buy a good pronunciation book, preferably with audio CDs. Choose carefully BrE or AmE.
5. Attend Toast Masters.
6. Attend an ESL class that focuses on pronunciation or lots of speaking practice.
7. Hire an ESL tutor who has experience teaching the above, or whose voice you want to imitate.
8. Hire a professional Communication Coach with a solid background in ESL and accent reduction.
9. Hire a professional linguist or speech pathologist.
10. Practice practice practice.

Office Talk - Expressions

2011-03-15T10:52:00.000-04:00

"The Office" can be used to mean any job or typical day. You do not actually have to work in an office.
Example:
John comes home tired, looking stressed and burned out. His wife asks: "Hard day at the office?"
He replies: "Oh yeah. We've got a new manager/supervisor/accountant/secretary/etc. causing me grief because..."
Once again, John doesn't necessarily have to work at an office. It can be any job, white collar or blue collar, volunteer, etc. that he is coming home from.

I have also heard that there is a bar/pub called "The Office" so that when your wife or husband asks "where are you now?" you can honestly say "I'm (still) at the office!"

"Office Politics" refers to power positioning at your place of employment and the perceived route to career success and promotion. You have to have a good relationship with those in a position over your career. It also refers to the idea that you should get along with others at work, and not 'burn any bridges' (damage any personal or professional relationships).

Good Reason to Live in Vancouver, Toronto or Calgary

2011-02-23T08:48:00.000-05:00

A survey published by the Economist Intelligence Unit says Calgary is the fifth most livable city in the world.
The U.K.-based group analyzes 30 factors to establish its annual rankings, including stability, health care, culture, environment, education, infrastructure and personal safety.
Calgary was among three Canadian cities to land in the top ten, with Vancouver taking first spot for the fifth year in a row.
Toronto was ranked fourth on the list of 140 cities worldwide.
The highest ranked U.S. city is Pittsburgh, at 29th place.
The most unlivable city in the world is Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, the list's authors said.

How do we say this word? - Pizza

2011-02-20T11:57:00.001-05:00

As you know pizza is popular around the world, and you have probably eaten it several times this year. But have you ordered pizza in a native-English speaking country before?

If you immigrate or study abroad, you probably will have to order it at some point, if not for yourself then for your friends or kids.

Looks can be deceiving. The word looks simple enough right? PIZZA. So you may think logically that you pronounce it as it is written, but that is not the case. In fact we pronounce this word like PETE-SA, with emphasis (stress) on the first syllable.

So even though the writing of the word suggests PEE-ZA, trust me, it is not pronounced that way. You must say PETE-SA when ordering it in English.

Enjoy!

PM and U.S. President Obama announce shared vision

2011-02-14T16:30:00.000-05:00

Accept, except, access, excess, etc.

2011-01-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

This is a common speaking mistake. When English words have a double c (cc), we sometimes pronounce the first c as hard, like a K, and the second c soft, like an S. For example:

"Accept" is pronounced AKSEPT, not ASSEPT.
"Access" is pronounced AKSESS, not ASSESS. That's a different word with a different meaning, right?

However English is not consistent. We do sometimes pronounce cc like a double k. Example:
"Accolades" is pronounced AKKOLAYDZ
"Accomplishment" is pronounced AKKOMPLISHMENT

So it can be confusing at times. Use a good dictionary which also shows you how to pronounce words (phonetics) if you are not sure.

We also have xc which sounds just like our first example of cc, which is to say the first letter is pronounce hard, the second soft. Example:
"Except" is pronounced EKSEPT
"Excess" is pronounced EKSESS

English can be fun but frustrating to learn, so try to have a sense of humour about it and use a variety of resources to enhance your learning.

Best,

Coach Ric

"I've been here for 14 years - but I still can't speak English well!"

2011-01-20T00:14:00.000-05:00

This is what I heard today over the phone from a potential client. She does not have a thick accent but she does has one. She sounds fairly confident and certainly intelligent. She has a couple of degrees and valid work experience. So what's the problem, right?

She sometimes feels shy when she is in a group of Canadians. She is not sure what to say and if she says something is it appropriate or not. She is not as confident as she would like to be.

Like many she starts to think it is because of her accent, but as we chat longer over the phone she begins to understand that her level of formal English, both academic and professional, have taken her so far, but not far enough to truly mingle stress-free with the native Canadians. What does she need?

After admitting that she doesn't have any native English-speaking friends to hang out with (she spends time only with people from her community - the exact community is not important for this story) I tell her that she needs to study, learn and integrate pop culture and idioms more to help increase her comfort.

It almost sounds too easy and so she resists, but it will not do her any good. Language, any language, not just English, is a reflection of the culture. Textbook English starts you off but to improve fluency you need to be able to speak about current affairs, get pop culture references and retort back to idioms.

Reducing your accent will benefit you if you have a thick accent, and there is nothing wrong with spending time to work on it even if it's pretty good already, if you so choose. But please do not neglect the amount of fluency that comes from informal chit-chat, especially through idioms, slang, colloquialisms, and pop-culture references like movies, comics, heroes, books, etc.

Pop Quiz:
Who is Princess Leigh?
What is a Hobbit?
Where does 'Gotham city' come from?
Name a friend of Harry Potter.
What's the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek?
Name the main characters from Friends, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons.

I could go on but for now if you can answer these questions easily then you are not living with your head in the sand, and you probably enjoy North American culture. If you are having problems answering my questions, then you probably have difficulty with small talk and in social situations in general with native English speakers, especially us North Americans. Borrow some books, rent some dvds, and watch some more TV. If you have friends to join you - all the better. Create a study group and have fun while you learn.

Good luck!

Best,

Coach Ric

12 New Year's Resolutions for immigrants wanting to succeed in Canada | Canadian Immigrant

2011-01-04T15:30:00.000-05:00

12 New Year's Resolutions for immigrants wanting to succeed in Canada | Canadian Immigrant

Canadian, Please

2010-11-14T08:43:00.000-05:00

Should You Wear a Poppy? I Do...

2010-11-06T01:35:00.002-04:00

You will see many people wearing a plastic Poppy (red flower) on their label (collar) these days, in Canada, the UK and some parts of the U.S.A.

November 11th is Remembrance Day (Veteran's Day in the US) and it is time to remember the fallen soldiers who have died in battle in our various wars in history. The tradition started after the end of World War 1.

If you are not sure what wearing the poppy symbolizes, I can help.

1 - it is a symbol to remember the fallen soldiers who have fought for your/our country/freedom
2 - you wear it on your left lapel/collar, over your heart, not on your right
3 - it is not a symbol supporting war
4 - it is not a peace symbol
5 - it is not a fashion piece
6 - money raised goes to help veterans (returned soldiers) live a little more comfortably
7 - You do not have to be from Canada, UK or USA to wear one. You can wear one to honour your own country's losses in previous war. It is about remembering soldiers, but not only the soldiers from Canada, UK and USA.
8 - It is a personal decision, but not a political or religious one.

I wear a poppy every year, without fail. My grandfather, Harold Phillips, fought in WW II, and survived. His brother was not so lucky. I wear a poppy to honour them and their comrades.

More info can be found here on the Poppy and the history: http://www.legion.ca/Poppy/campaign_e.cfm

A famous poem was written by a Canadian Medic in WWI named John McCrae. The poem is about poppies growing in Flanders Fields. It is called 'In Flanders Fields'.

John McCrae

"Squish" the middle vowel in some 3-syllable words

2010-10-04T20:00:00.001-04:00

Take a look at these 3-syllable words:
Business
Chocolate
Corporate

If we read them as if English was a syllabic language, like Japanese for example, then we would read/pronounce them "bus-i-ness", "choc-o-late" and "cor-por-ate", right?

But that is not the way we say it, at least here in North America.
The way the word is written may appear to indicate that there are 3 syllables but we pronounce them like 2, and to do that we "squish" the middle vowel.
Try this:
"Bus-ness, Choc-late, Cor-prate."

Okay that's a start, but now we have to obey the "-ate" rule, which states that the "-ate" at the end of a sentence is pronounced like "it" if the word is a noun or adjective, and "8" if the word is being used as a verb. For example, "The graduates will graduate in June" is pronounced "The gradu"its" will gradu"8" in June."

So now when we put it all together, we should read our original three words like so (capitals are used to show stress):
BIZ-niss
CHOK-lit
KOR-prit

Try this sentence: "The corporate (kor-prit) office of the ABC chocolate (chok-lit) company reports that business (biz-niss) is running well ahead of schedule and will produce lots of chocolates (chok-lits) in time for Christmas."

Transfer Worker from China gets Speaking Award

2010-09-01T17:57:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone,

I would like to share an email I received today from Grace, one of my private coaching clients here in Toronto. (I have her permission to share this.) Before I do I just want to give you a little background on her. She has been transferred here from Shanghai, China, and works for a large financial institution.
In addition to working with me to improve her English (which by the way is already really good) I coach Grace on interpersonal and professional communication skills.

Currently Grace is enrolled in a fun, dynamic Dale Carnegie course, which I fully support. However, I had the opportunity and ability to take her DC training further, by adding to what she was learning and advising her on how to improve her public speaking. (There are advantages to one-to-one training over large group workshops, right?)

Here is the unedited email I received today:

Thanks a lot, Ric!

I can't wait to share the great news with you that I won the
Breakthrough Award yesterday at my Carnegie's class!

I did restructure my story as you suggested and applied the body
language you taught me. My classmates were very impressed and voted
me as the winner of the night. I think the credit goes to you.
Without your help and inspiration, I would never get there. Thanks
so much!!!

Grace

_____________________

No Grace, thank YOU for being a hard-worker and a brave public speaker in English as a second language. It is not easy. Keep up the good work in your DC class as well as in our coaching sessions!

Coach Ric

Random Canadian English

2010-07-30T09:12:00.001-04:00

Hi folks,

I originally compiled this list of Canadian English for a workshop I did recently for an organization that helps new immigrants settle and learn job skills, but I also think this list is great for people that visit Canada for business or pleasure. I know there are words and phrases that I've missed, and there may be some regional disagreements with this list, but it should serve it's purpose, and maybe even generate some fun discussion that leads to a deeper understanding of Canadian language and culture. Enjoy!

“Aboot” – Despite what American T.V. and films suggest, we do not mispronounce “about” like this. Maybe 2% of the population might, but as a general rule – nope.

Can – instead of washroom, bathroom, toilet, lavatory, WC, loo, etc.
Canuck - A slang term for a Canadian, but we don’t take offense!

Chocolate bar – instead of candy bar.
Double-double - a cup of coffee with two creams and two sugars. Tim Hortons lingo. If you want just one cream and one sugar, you have to ask for “Regular”.

Eh? Said often to get agreement, clarification or confirmation. Americans say “huh?”
Hoodie - A hooded sweatshirt.
Hogtown - old name for Toronto. The kids say T.O. or T-dot.
Homo milk - whole milk with a fat content greater than 2%, usually 3.25%.

Hoser – Nickname for a blue-collar Canadian popularized by Bob and Doug Mackenzie characters from SCTV and “Strange Brew”. Not generally spoken these days.
Hydro - synonym for electrical service, as in “Did you pay the hydro (bill) yet?”

Inuit – our Northern natives/aboriginals. We don’t call them “Eskimos”.
Joe Blow – Means any random person, like John Q. Public or any Tom, Dick or Harry.

Keener – an “eager beaver”, someone who is diligent and works (too) hard!
KD - Kraft Dinner - macaroni and cheese in a box. Americans call is “Mac N’ Cheese”.

Line-up – instead of saying “line” or “queue”. Used as a compound noun and verb.
Loonie - Canadian one dollar coin, that has a picture of a loon (bird) on it.

Mickey – no, not the mouse. This is the name for the small, pocket-sized bottle of booze.

Newfie – a person from Newfoundland, that tends to be the brunt of a lot of jokes. In today’s politically correct world, this is considered insulting and no longer acceptable to use.
Pissed – can mean angry or drunk.
Pogey – old name for (un)employment insurance.
Pop – Instead of “soda pop” or “soda”. Also slang for beer, made popular by Hockey Night in Canada personality Don Cherry on The Coach’s Corner.
Poutine - french fries topped with cheese curd and covered with hot gravy.

Puck-Bunny – a girl that likes hockey players, as in a “groupie”.
Runners - running shoes. We don’t often say “tennis shoes”, “trainers”, “sneakers” or “joggers”.

Shinny – means pond, river or street hockey. A.K.A. a game of pick-up.
Ski-Doo - used generically to refer to any snowmobile.
Snowbird - a Canadian who spends the winter in the south, like in Florida. This is also the name of our national team of airplanes that perform at air shows.
Timbits - donut holes sold at Tim Hortons or “Timmy’s”. By the way, Tim Horton was an ex-NHL hockey player who started the first Tim Hortons shop in 1964 in Hamilton.

Toboggan – What we call our sleds and sleighs that we ride down the snowhill.
Toonie - the Canadian two-dollar coin. Two loonies equal a toonie!
Toque - a knitted winter hat.
26er - 26 imperial fluid oz alcohol – the big bottle!
2-4 - "two four"- a box containing 24 beer.

Washroom – commonly used instead of saying bathroom, lavatory, WC, loo, etc.

Zed – the last letter of the alphabet is pronounced “zed” instead of “zee”.

Happy Canada Day! - Here is a little history (article)

2010-07-01T10:37:00.000-04:00

Canada on July 1, 1867 a lot like Canada today

Millions of people are gathering all over Canada to celebrate the country's 143rd birthday, but the Canada of today in many ways is similar to the one of July 1, 1867.

People celebrated, world leaders worked toward a global economy, Canadians felt attached to British traditions and a new technology was changing how people communicated.

Queen Elizabeth II is even here with us to celebrate this year.

In 1867, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth's great-great-grandmother wrote in her proclamation, "We do ordain, declare, and command, that on and after the first day of July one thousand, eight hundred and sixty-seven, the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick shall form and be one Dominion under the name Canada."

With those words Canada became a nation.

(RIC'S NOTE: Way back then, Ontario was known as 'Upper Canada' and Quebec was known as 'Lower Canada', and that is what is meant by 'the provinces of Canada' in the above speech by the queen. Yes, Canada was formed with just 4 provinces!)

To read the rest of this article on Yahoo!, please visit this link now:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/yahoocanada/canada_on_july1__1867_a_lot_like_canada_today

21 Accents

2010-06-26T12:38:00.000-04:00

This is entertaining. Good job Amy. I don't agree with your Toronto accent - too fast - but thanks for the laughs!

Hugh Laurie: the British accent vs the American

2010-06-26T12:31:00.000-04:00

Hugh Laurie and Ellen teach each other slang.

How Culture and ESL Can Affect Managing Others

2010-06-25T11:56:00.000-04:00

I recently had an email from an old Chinese friend (really nice sweet guy) who was asking for advice on how to manage foreign English teachers in China at his company. Apparently whenever they didn’t agree to some term of employment, they simply ‘played the foreigner card’ and claimed that they don’t have to do that because things are different in their own country. Smells like arrogance to me. The funny thing is, this nice guy who was asking me for help really wanted me to give him advice on understanding Westerner’s employment standards and practices.

That is a good thing to do, since he is managing them. However I reminded him that they are guests in China and are employees of his company, and that the main way to avoid some confusion is to have a clearly written ‘rules and conditions of employment’ contract which everyone must read and sign. That way both sides are clear on what is expected from the beginning. If the teachers find these rules too difficult then he should invite them to seek employment elsewhere!
Of course rules can be bent and terms can be negotiated and re-written, but it cannot be done through bullying or ultimatum-giving, and that is what I wanted my friend to understand. He was being a push-over and they were taking advantage of his hospitality, as I understood. As a manager he needed to learn how to deal with facts (i.e. terms of employment as set out by the company) and be firm but fair in his dealings with his teachers.

Similar things happen all over the world. Here in multi-cultural Toronto, I come across stories all the time of people who are either being too strong or too shy. How many Russian immigrants have I told to “soften your language” and to “not be so direct”? Almost as many Chinese immigrants I have told to “be more confident in your speech” and to “not be so indirect”! Funny right? And that is just a small sample from my world of being a professional Communication Coach!

(For more info on effective people management tips, please visit the latest article on my website by following this link directly to the Article Page:
http://www.communicationcoach.ca/pb/wp_925208bb.html?0.28339810437679436)

Russian Hookers and Cougars?

2010-05-09T10:12:00.000-04:00

Today's post is a bit dangerous and risque (risky). I don't want to offend anyone, but the fact is stereotypes are out there. We shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but , we do. Everyone does. We cannot ignore it, and as we all move towards a more global world with multicultural societies, we must at least stop and have a laugh at stereotypes, even if that means laughing at ourselves.

Watch this video (unless you have no sense of humour) and laugh a little.

Is Spelling Really Important?

2010-04-19T15:26:00.000-04:00

Yes and No. Proper spelling is important for written reports, essays and school assignments, as well as any and all business documents (including emails). BUT proper spelling is not important for understanding words and meaning in the sentence.

Most people can read the sentences below and still understand the correct meaning (i.e. words) without much effort. Try it. I hope you are a clever one too! ;)

"I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig eh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!"

P.S. - as an English teacher, I strive for and demand proper spelling!

Origin of the word Sergeant

2010-04-17T11:59:00.000-04:00

For all of you out there interested in a career in the Military or Police Force, Listen up!

Verb Tenses - Say it Right!

2010-03-29T15:56:00.000-04:00

Verb Tenses

SIMPLE PRESENT
I study English everyday.

SIMPLE PAST [verb + ed]
Two years ago, I studied English in Canada.

SIMPLE FUTURE
1. [am/is/are] + [going to] + [verb]
2. [will] + [verb]
I am going to study English next year in Canada.
I will help you study English tomorrow.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS [am / is / are] + [verb + ing]
I am studying English now.

PAST CONTINUOUS [was /were] + [verb + ing]
I was studying English when you called this morning.

FUTURE CONTINUOUS
1. [will be] + [verb + ing]
2. [am /is /are] + [going to be] + [verb + ing]
I will be studying English when you arrive today.
We are going to be studying English next year in Canada.

PRESENT PERFECT [has /have] + [past participle]
I have studied English in several Canadian cities.

PAST PERFECT [had] + [past participle]
I had studied English before I moved to Canada.

FUTURE PERFECT 1. [will have] + [past participle]
2. [am/is/are] + [going to have] + [past participle]
I will have studied all the verb tenses by the end of today.
We are going to have studied all the chapters by five o'clock.

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS [has/have] + [been] + [verb + ing]
I have been studying English for two years.

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS [had been] + [verb + ing]
I had been studying English for two years before I moved to Canada.

FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS
1. [will have been] + [verb + ing]
2. [am/is/are] + [going to have been] + [verb + ing]
I will have been studying English for one hour by the time you arrive.
We are going to have been studying for three hours.

Verbals

Participle or verbal adjectives are words with a value of an adjective and a verb.

Gerunds or verbal nouns have the value of a noun and a verb. They usually end with the "ing" ending.

Infinitives act like gerunds . They have the value of a noun and a verb. Verb forms "to see, to study" are infinitives, can be a subject of a verb, object of a verb, or a subjective completion, take an object or have an adverbial modifier.

Modal Verbs are irregular verbs which behave very differently from normal verbs.
Here are some important differences:
1. Modal Verbs do not take "-s" in the third person.
2. You use "not" to make Modal Verbs negative, even in Simple Present and Simple Past.
3. Many Modal Verbs cannot be used in the past or future tenses.
Conditionals - Formats for Specific Purposes

A conditional format is used when the writer expresses an action or an idea that is dependent on a condition, on something that is only imagined in the present, in the past or the future.

Present Real Conditional
If I have money, I travel. (Sometimes I have money.)

Present Unreal Conditional
If I had money, I would travel. (I don't have money.)

Past Real Conditional
If I had money, I traveled. (Sometimes I had money.)

Past Unreal Conditional
If I had had money, I would have traveled . (I didn't have money.)

Future Real Conditional
If I have money, I will travel.

Future Unreal Conditional
If I have money, I am going to travel. (I don't know if I will have money or not.)
If I had money, I would travel. (I won't have money.)

Thanks to Ross McBride from ESL in Canada for the above.
Link = http://www.eslincanada.com/englishlesson4.html

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

2010-03-17T10:36:00.000-04:00

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in many countries, especially Ireland, England, Canada and the USA. Today is a day that you can celebrate by doing the following:

Wear some green clothing

If old enough, drink at a pub, preferably Irish or English, and take part in their promotions. Most pubs and restaurants will have some promotional games or contests, perhaps sponsors like Guiness, Harp or Kilkenny (Irish beers) will offer freebies (giveaways at no cost)

Drink green beer (food dye is used)

See a St. Patrick's Day parade if your city has one.

Today's St. Patrick's Day celebrations are all about having fun. "Everybody's Irish" is the theme on this day. You may see hats and T-shirts that read "Kiss me I'm Irish!". People of drinking age may drink all day and night!

The original story of St. Patrick goes as follows:

A young English boy was stolen from him home and brought back to then-wild Ireland and held as a slave. During these difficult years the young man turned to his Christian faith to keep him going. One night he dreamed that he would walk over a hill and discover a boat that would rescue him. Shortly thereafter he escaped and found such a boat. He finally made it back to his home in England.

Later, as a priest, he decided to return to Ireland, where he knew the language and customs, to convert them to Christianity. Other missionaries had been killed. He was successful.

He added the circle to the cross which represented the sun, and created the "Celtic cross".

He used the 3-leaf clover to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) to the Irish people. That is why the clover or "shamrock" is a strong symbol not only on St. Patrick's Day but of Ireland itself.

This is just a brief background description. If interested, please do more research to learn about this fun and interesting holiday.

Cheers!!!

Coach Ric

How to Study English (ESL) - Setting & Achieving Your Goals

2010-03-14T17:49:00.001-04:00

First step " Choose your Goal" for learning English as a Second Language

Goals are your motivation. Goals can remind you of purpose and direction. Why do you need English as a second or third language? What do you wish to accomplish with English as a second language? Studying ESL requires thousands of hours of real effort - you need motivation and endurance to be able to study or work using the English language with native speakers.

Top 15 Goals for studying English as a second language

* Immigrate into an English speaking country
* Get hired at a first job
* Be hired at a better company
* Be promoted in your company
* Sell and market your products to English speaking countries
* Be able to operate a business completely in English.
* Publish an authoritative business, scientific journal article in English
* Be admitted and study in a North American university.
* Be admitted and study in a North American university graduate program.
* Travel independently in English speaking countries.
* As an Artist, perform for English speaking audiences
* Enjoy entertainment produced by English speaking artists
* Use English instructions for computer applications. Surf the net in English
* Score 950 on the Toeic test or 280 on the new Toefl exam
* Study English Literature in the original text

Second step: "Select the best Learning Methods" - how you learn most efficiently

Examples of questions to determine "how you learn best"

* What English can you learn the most while studying alone?
* What English can you learn the most studying in a group?
* Can you listen once and remember the pronunciation and vocabulary?
* Does it help to see pictures of nouns or action verbs demonstrated?
* Do you have to write and repeat words to memorize vocabulary?
* How many times and ways must you use a word to "know" its proper context?
* How often do you have to repeat lessons?
* Can you create and use mnemonics to remember lists
* Can you benefit using accelerated English language learning methods
* Does music or games help you to relax making learning easier?

Third step "Form a Plan" use the best learning stages to reach study Goals

An example of a two year study plan with four stages to learn English:

* (First stage - 6 months)
Start with picture dictionaries to begin vocabulary, use the ESL in Canada 1000 most used word list as the initial core vocabulary, start to study pronunciation by watching English TV, listen to taped conversations, for 1 - 2 hours each day.
* (Second stage - 6 months)
Add grammar, see the ESL in Canada Grammar Blog for 10 most important English Grammar points, start to study English punctuation, spelling, vocabulary studies, start to read newspapers/magazines, begin a vocabulary diary for 1 - 2 hours each day
* (Third stage - 6 months)
Add one hour of English conversation classes everyday for 6 months, review grammar and vocabulary, add to vocabulary diary each day.
* (Fourth stage - 6 months)
Travel to Canada for 400 hours of English conversation classes, perform some volunteer work, take a special interest course and travel using English.
* (After the Two Year Plan)
Continuing ESL education program with one English conversation class per week or start your own English Conversation Club, watch English News on TV, read English newspapers

Fourth step "create a Cost & Benefit Analysis for your Plan"

* What FREE English learning resources are available on the internet?
* What FREE English learning resources are at the library, community or cultural centres?
* What FREE English Learning clubs offer conversation classes?
* What FREE English Language exchange clubs offer conversation classes?
* Compare the costs of books, texts, tapes, Cd's for self-study.
* Analyze the cost of instruction by tutors in a small group of 3 or 4
* Analyze the cost of instruction at local English schools
* Analyze costs of foreign travel and accommodation to study English abroad.

Fifth step "Start your Plan"

(This article has been re-printed with permission from ESL in Canada. To see the original posting, plus more resources, go here: http://www.eslincanada.com/learnenglish.html)

CHINESE GUY EATS SOOO LOUD!

2010-02-27T10:23:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone,

This guy, Peter Chao, who I think is living in Vancouver, has all these funny videos on a variety of topics. You should check them out. Making fun of Chinese accent and stereotypes. Actually I believe his English is better than this - I think he embellishes for the videos - which make them even funnier.

NOTE: Everyone I know is annoyed by people who eat with their mouth open and talk while eating, so STOP IT!!!!!!! (Not just Chinese...)

NOTE 2: I'm not hating on the Chinese - I lived in China for 2 years teaching English before. I love the culture.
Enjoy the videos!
- Coach Ric

I Believe in the Power of You and I...or Me?

2010-02-24T14:15:00.000-05:00

Can’t fool you and me: Grammarian says lyrics to ‘I Believe’ anthem flawed

By Bruce Cheadle, The Canadian Press Feb 23, 9:00 am EST

WHISTLER, B.C. - It has become as emblematic and familiar to TV viewers of the 2010 Winter Games as Alexandre Bilodeau, underperforming Canadian medal hopefuls and venue weather woes.
But that musical phenomenon known as "I Believe," the official anthem of Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, may in fact provide the true legacy of the Games: another generation of Canadian kids who don't know me from you, nor their "I" from a hole in their head.

If you haven't heard it by now, you haven't been watching the Olympics on the Canadian broadcast consortium, led by CTV.
"I believe in the power of you and I," 16-year-old Nikki Yanofsky sings repeatedly, a refrain that's been employed as the soundtrack to just about every conceivable sporting situation in these Games.

The song has been No. 1 on iTunes Canada's playlist for 13 straight days and has spawned an unanticipated merchandising bonanza for the broadcasters.
Yanofsky's vocals are flawless, but not the lyrics.

"For some reason, polite Canadians do not seem to think that 'me' is acceptable," says Joanne Buckley, a professor at the Centre for Student Development at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., and one of the country's pre-eminent grammarians.
"Of course, we grammarians know that the words should be 'believe in the power of you and me' since 'of' is a preposition and takes an object."

Buckly did, however, cut the song's lyricists a little slack.
"Then again, T. S. Eliot set the precedent for this usage in 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' when he wrote in the first line, 'Let us go then, you and I,'" the professor said in an email.
"He was wrong too, or perhaps just demonstrating the politeness of Prufrock. I suppose the theme song could be worse: it could say 'I believe in the power of you and myself.'"

Buckley confesses to being "the kind of person who talks back to the TV when I hear errors in grammar" and said she finds the flawed "I Believe" refrain "a bit annoying." She'd like to think she's not entirely alone.
But a spokesman for the broadcast consortium claims not to have heard a single such complaint, notwithstanding that the song has been sent to some 5,000 Canadian schools where, presumably, English grammar is still taught.

The song was distributed to schools through the group Free the Children in an effort to get Canadian kids "more engaged in the Games," said Dan Cimoroni, vice-president of business development for the Olympic broadcast consortium.
Any teacher complaints about the grammar?

"No, I haven't heard any of that," Cimoroni said, noting there has been some feedback from schools and it's all been positive.
In fact, apart from the pure musical appeal of Yanofsky and "I Believe," the song has spurred a bonus line of T-shirts, scarves, hoodies and the like.

"Originally we didn't have a licence to sell clothing," said Cimoroni.
But after the public saw some "I Believe" promotional items for the song, "it just literally became overwhelming the number of people asking for it," he said.
The consortium quickly struck a deal with VANOC, the Games' organizing committee, and the merchandise has since been selling like crazy.
At least the "you and I" lyric isn't emblazoned across the stuff.

In one of those curious coincidences that only a grammarian could love, the flawed line was delivered live as part of the Games' opening ceremonies on an evening when U.S. network NBC debuted an abbreviated remake of "We Are The World," a 1980s vintage African-famine fundraiser recorded again in the wake of the Haiti earthquake.
The chorus in that song ends with: "It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me."

The U.S.-written song also got it wrong. It should be you and I, although that's a rather formal construction and defies conversational convention.
But patriotic Canadians can at least take some small solace that they weren't beaten by the Americans in both hockey and grammar.

To read this article online and to read comments posted, please view this link:
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=capress-oly_i_believe_grammar-2428652&prov=capress&type=lgns

Here is a good rule to remember which you should use, I or Me, posted by one reader:

"Grammarians are as much at fault as anyone else for lapses in grammar because they give their reasons for criticizing bad grammar in grammatical terms which demonstrates nothing but their arrogance and are willfully (woefully?) unhelpful to those attempting to learn correct usage. The simplest, every-day way to explain to people - especially children - the difference between 'you and me' and 'you and I' is to tell them to remove 'you' from the sentence. Understanding then why 'I' is correct in some places, and 'me' in others becomes obvious. So 'You and I are going" obviously becomes "I am going" not "Me am going" and "Is he saying that to you and I" obviously becomes 'Is he saying that to me" not 'Is he saying that to I'. I was taught this method by an English teacher who knew not only how to speak and write properly, but how to convey her knowledge to children. We could do with a few more like that in our schools today." - Meg G.

Help with Watching & Talking HOCKEY!

2010-02-19T14:33:00.002-05:00

As you watch the 2010 Winter Olympics, there is not a sport more exciting to Canadians than Hockey. Watch the games and learn more with this vocabulary. Ask a Canadian or American to explain the ones you do not know. Enjoy!

PEOPLE
The Referees or “Refs”
The Linesman/men
The Players
The Forwards
The Defense
The Goaltender
The Goalie
The Netminder
The Fans
The Coach
The G.M.
(General Manager)
The Announcer
The Enforcer
The Captain (C)
The Assistant (A)

KEY NOUNS
A Slap/Wrist shot
A Face-off
A Period
A Tie-game
Overtime/Sudden Death
Rebound
The Net
The Puck
The Stick
An Assist
The Boards/Glass
The Rink
A Scrap
Penalty
Power Play
A Shoot-out

KEY VERBS
Hits
Shoots (the puck)
Passes
Skates
Deflects/Redirects/Tips
Scores
Saves
Intercepts
Blocks(the shot)
Checks
Stickhandles/Dekes
Dives
Assists
Ices (the puck)
Elbows
Kill a Penalty

PENALTIES
Roughing
High-sticking
Cross-checking
Hooking
Holding
Tripping
Boarding
Slashing
Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Fighting
2-minute Minor
4-minute Major
(Double Minor)
5-minute Major
10-Minute Misconduct
Game Suspension

EXPRESSIONS YOU MAY HEAR
He/She leads in points/goals/assists/penalty minutes
He/She picks it up
It’s cleared down the ice
He/She plays the puck (around the net)
He/She ices the puck
He/She wins the draw
He’s/She's knocked down/out
S/He shoots, S/he scores!
Oh what a save!
Glove-save!
S/He Flashes the leather!
What’s the score?
Just wide of the post
It hit the crossbar
Dropped the gloves
Fires a rocket
Ran (him/her) into the boards
It’s the go-ahead goal
They blew a 3-0 lead

Slang & Expressions from Snowboarding

2010-02-19T13:01:00.001-05:00

There are over 370 terms, slang, idioms and expressions from the world of Snowboarding here,
http://www.abc-of-snowboarding.com/snowboarddictionary.asp , including references to tricks, snow conditions, boarders, fans, and other people in the sport. Too many to post but just click on the link and have fun learning how to talk like and understand a snowboarder. Enjoy the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics!
http://www.abc-of-snowboarding.com/snowboarddictionary.asp

Curling Expressions

2010-02-19T12:53:00.000-05:00

Curling Expressions from http://www.ecf-web.org/glossary.html :

"Hit the broom"	A rock thrown accurately at the aiming point
"On the broom"	Same as above
"Lost its handle"	A rock that loses its rotation
"Nice rock"	Good shot
"Nice Toss"	Same as above
Tee weight	A rock thrown hard enough to stop on the Tee Line
Back ring weight	A rock thrown hard enough to stop in the back of the house
Draw the "lid"	Draw to the button
Draw the "pin"	Same as above
"Fudge"	The rock hits the heavily slid area in the house and stops quickly
Hack weight	A rock thrown hard enough to stop near the hack
Normal hit	A rock thrown hard enough to remove another rock from play
Heavy hit	A rock thrown hard enough to forcefully remove a rock from play
"Split'em"	Hitting a rock at such an angle as to split them apart
"You dumped it"	A rock thrown inside the line of delivery, usually at the point of release
"You flipped it"	A rock thrown outside the line of delivery, usually at the point of relea
"Take the rock"	Sweep closest to the rock
"The rock picked"	The moving rock picked up a piece of debris that altered its course
Weld	A perfect freeze

Olympics Vocabulary - Curling Glossary

2010-02-19T12:50:00.000-05:00

In honor of our fabulous 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, I am posting some sports-related vocabulary and expressions, so that you may enjoy the games more and have a better chance of understanding the plays of the sports. Enjoy!

Curling Glossary (from http://www.ecf-web.org/glossary.html )

BACK LINE	The line behind the house. Once crossed a stone is out of play
BITER	A stone barely touching the 12-foot ring
BLANK END	An end in which neither team has a stone in the house
BONSPIEL	A curling tournament
BURNT STONE	A stone touched while in motion
BUTTON	The smallest ring in the house. It is two feet in diameter, also called the "potlid"
DELIVERY	The process of throwing a stone
CENTRE LINE	The line that runs down the middle of the sheet from hack to hack
DRAW	A stone that comes to rest within the house
ECF	European Curling Federation
EIGHT ENDER	An end where all eight stones of one team are better than the opposition's closest
END	When sixteen stones have come to rest. Similar to an inning in baseball
EXTRA END	The deciding end played when the score is level after all scheduled ends have been played
FREEZE	A stone coming to rest touching another stone
FREE GUARD ZONE	The area between the hog line and the tee line excluding the house
FREE GUARD ZONE RULE	The rule that states that an opponent’s stone in the Free Guard Zone cannot be removed from play until after the first four stones have been played
GUARD	A shot that comes to rest in front of another stone for protection
HACK	The pieces of rubber you push off from at either end of the sheet
HAMMER	The last shot of the end
HOGGED	A shot that comes to rest short or on the hog line and is removed from play
HOG LINE	The line 10,06 meter (33 feet) from the hack
HOUSE	The target area 12 feet in diameter
HURRY!	To sweep immediately and hard
IN-TURN	A stone that rotates clockwise for a right-handed player
LEAD	Player of a team who plays the first two stones for his team in an end
OUT-TURN	A stone that rotates counter clock-wise for a right-handed player
PEBBLE	The frozen bumps on the ice that the stones ride on
PEEL	A hard takeout designed to remove guards
PORT	A space between two lying stones, large enough for another one to pass through
RAISE	Promotion; to move a lying stone further
RCCC	The Royal Caledonian Curling Club (Scotland) - the mother club of curling
RINK	The building where curling takes place or A curling team or The sheet of ice on which a curling game is played
ROCK	The alternative (North American) term for a stone
SECOND	Player who plays his two stones second for his team
SHEET	The total playing area for one game
SHOT	A played stone or The word used to indicate a point won at the end of an end (shot rock)
SKIP	The captain of the team, usually (but not necessarily) plays last two stones of a team in an end
SPINNER	A stone thrown with excessive spin
STEAL	Scoring a point without last stone advantage
TAKE-OUT	A stone thrown hard enough to remove another stone from play. Also called a "HIT"
TEE	The cross in the centre of the house
TEE LINE	The line that intersects the house at the centreline
THE "TOSS"	The toss of the coin to determine last rock in the first end
THIRD	Player who plays his two stones third; often Vice-Skip of the team
WCF	World Curling Federation
WCT	World Curling Tour
WCT-E	World Curling Tour - Europe
WEIGHT	The momentum applied to a stone for distance

Want to be a Better ESL Tutor or Coach?

2010-02-15T21:54:00.000-05:00

Are you ready to be a great Coach or Tutor?

Learn how to market and sell yourself on a limited budget, how to connect with different types of people, how to set up a personalized program including assessments, goals, quizzes, tests and referrals, and most importantly how to talk to people in a way that motivates them to work hard and achieve success.

3V Communications is presenting "Coach the Coach" training in Toronto, either in a fun weekend workshop or private, one-to-one coaching.

Ideal for new or inexperienced Life Coaches, Communication Coaches, Presentation Coaches, Business Coaches, Real Estate agents, ESL Tutors, Academic Tutors, and many other coaches, entrepreneurs, consultants and independent contractors.

Probable date for weekend workshop is March 27 & 28 2010. Price and location TBA.
If interested, please contact Ric Phillips:
Direct Line: 416.429.7935
Email: ric @ CommunicationCoach (.) ca
http://www.CommunicationCoach.ca

Please let me know what type of training you are interested in (if maybe attending workshop) and what your industry is.
Thank you!

Do You Have "A News" or "Some News"?

2010-02-04T18:05:00.000-05:00

I hear this mistake all the time, so I thought I should put it down here.
In English we say "news" not "a news". It is uncountable.
Eg.
Vanesa: "I have some (good/bad/strange) news to tell you/share with you/for you!"
Rob: "Really? What's the (good/bad/strange) news?"
Vanesa: "I'm pregnant!!!"
Rob: (Faints...)
So please do not say "I have a news" or "a good news" - okay? Just say "news" or "some news".
More example sentences:
"Hey, did you see the guy on the news today that won the lottery? he looks so happy!"
"I heard on the news today (meaning TV or radio) that Toyota is recalling a lot of cars."
"My co-worker shared with me the secret news that our company is down-sizing again. I wonder if I'll survive the chopping block?" (That means stay working and not get fired)

Career-Training ESL in Toronto - new classes

2010-01-23T13:02:00.000-05:00

(This is re-posted with permission from Ross McBride of ESL in Canada. If interested in classes, tell him you saw this post on the Speak English Better Blog.)

Toronto Programs & Schedules for 2010

ESL 100 and ESL 200
January & February - 200 hours, five hour a day program
March & April - 200 hours, five hour a day program
May & June - 200 hours, five hour a day program
July & August - 200 hours, five hour a day program
September & October - 200 hours, five hour a day program
November & December - 200 hours, five hour a day program

The ESL 100 and ESL 200 programs are designed for students interested in professional education and careers in administration, IT, computers, health, energy and business in the English-speaking North American and global community.

The ESL 100 and ESL 200 curriculum includes skills training, grammar instruction, communication techniques, in an environment of professional interaction and stimulating work-related activities.

The ESL 100 and ESL 200 content will be a blend of English as a second language, English for Business and English for special purpose. Students will learn English grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and definitions using actual career training terminology, instruction manuals, trade and industry publications, industry text books, tests and exams, business forms and correspondence.

The ESL 100 and ESL 200 integrated classes will be structured. The first listening and reading classes will concentrate on comprehension skills. The second integrated class will concentrate on writing skills. The third integrated class will concentrate on speaking skills.

COMPREHENSION for READING and LISTENING

The student will develop the comprehension skills necessary for word recognition, interpretation, analysis, and evaluation. Use active comprehension strategies to derive meaning while reading/listening and to check for understanding. Develop vocabulary to facilitate comprehension in the content areas. Use decoding strategies to understand unfamiliar words.

Students will: identify appropriate meaning from written/stated text, determine and verify the correct meaning/usage of multi-meaning words, be able to use a dictionary, thesaurus, or electronic dictionary, be able to replace words in context with an appropriate synonym or antonym, recognize and use grade appropriate and/or content specific vocabulary, locate information using available text features (e.g., maps, charts, graphics, indexes, glossaries, and tables of content), determine the main idea in a given paragraph or passage, determine cause-effect relationships, draw inferences from selected passages, compare and contrast, identify examples within context, validate reliable sources to use on a specified topic, explore statements in context for determination as fact or opinion,

ESL 100 Speaking Skills Overview
Basic pronunciation: consonant, vowels and combinations
Introduction of phonetics
Introduction to linking, stress, rhythm, intonation
Speaking formats: formal and informal for classroom or work

ESL 200 Speaking Skills Overview
Accent reduction
Speaking with style and fluency.
Public speaking

ESL 100 Writing Skills Overview
Parts of Speech
Basic sentence structure
Punctuation
Proper voice, verb agreement, consistent and accurate use of tenses.

ESL 200 Writing Skills Overview
Writing formats: lists, memos, paragraphs, summaries, reviews, reports, essays
Writing with style and meaning.
Review, re-write, correct and edit own written work.

Link to additional info
http://www.eslincanada.com/english-for-career-training.html

English Acronyms and Short Forms for the Office

2009-12-15T17:33:00.000-05:00

Here are a few acronyms that you most likely will come across as you work in a professional setting, like an office. These will come in handy (be useful) as you read and write office memos, emails, texts and letters.

Re: This means "Regarding", as in "regarding (or in regards to) your question/memo/email etc."

Appt: This means "Appointment". Be careful not to use "Apt." which actually is short for
"apartment"!

ASAP: "As Soon As Possible" - something needs to be done quickly!

ETA: "Estimated Time of Arrival" - "What is the ETA on that package from Japan?"

Dept.: "Department".

H.R.: Human Resources. Can also end with "Manager", "Management", "Department", etc.

CEO: "Chief Executive Officer"

COO: "Chief Operations Officer"

V.P.: "Vice President"

VIP: "Very Important Person". "We were given the VIP treatment by our suppliers today."

RSVP: French - Respondez sil-vous plait. "respond if you please" is the literal translation, but in English we just say "please respond". This can be used in invitations, networking events, conferences, meetings etc. "John if you want to come to the Christmas party with me you have to rsvp asap, so I know who is riding with me in my van."

C.C.: "Carbon Copy", or identical copy. Used in memos and emails. This way you can send your email to many people at once. Everyone can see the list of emails in the C.C. section. We also use this in speaking at the office, for example "Mary can you request a Lunch N' Learn on communication skills from H.R., and C.C. me on it (the email) please?

B.C.C.: "Blind Carbon Copy" - same as above, but no one except you can see the email addresses in this section.

There are more but this list is a good start. Enjoy!

Coach Ric

How to write a 5-paragraph report

2009-11-21T10:44:00.000-05:00

Initial Criteria for Writing Reports

Writing Conventions:

These are the basic parts of your writing: the spelling, punctuation, grammar, and
sentence structure. Do errors make it hard to understand your writing?

Logic:

Logic determines the order of your writing and how easy it is to follow your ideas. Proper logic determines how well your introduction, body, and conclusion work together and how logical your order of ideas are inside each paragraph.

Style:

Here, your sentence variety and use of idioms and vocabulary are very important. How fluent is your language? Are your sentences precise? Good reports exhibit a varied repertoire of sentence types, along with an extensive vocabulary.

Meaning:

Is the topic and ideas specific to your own experience and have they been conveyed well. Did you show with details exactly what you mean? Did you save your assertions for the topic and "statement making" sentences? Are your ideas convincing? Are they explained logically or systematically?

Originality

Originality can dramatically improve the reader's experience but can be a unnecessary distraction for some topics. Is there a balance between accuracy, statements for effect and originality based on the topic?

Titles

A title should be an exciting and accurate label of the contents of your report.

Simple, short and clear so it is understood quickly.

Directly connected to the reports main ideas.

Interesting, to make the reader want to read the report.

Capitalize all words except the small words (a, the, an, for and so on) or, capitalize the whole word.

Remember a topic is not a title!

Introduction

An introduction contains a topic sentence that conveys the main idea or statement of the report. This is the most important sentence of your whole report and needs to be the most carefully written.

Introductions are general compared to the ideas in the report, but related directly to the ideas in the report. Don’t give away too much. Save the details for the body.

Body Paragraphs (3)

The body is the center of the sandwich. Body paragraphs are a standard design: topic sentence, detailed examples with a concluding sentence. The body paragraphs support the topic and provides supportive examples with descriptions, and details.

Make it easy for the reader to follow from sentence to sentence and from paragraph to paragraph. Keep to one idea in one paragraph. Each of these ideas relates directly to the topic.

Put your best paragraph first, weakest in the middle and your second best paragraph last.

Conclusion

The conclusion is usually larger than the introduction.

Restate your topic as the first sentence of the conclusion.

Summarize the ideas of the body paragraphs without repeating everything point-by-point.

Conclusions often contains a final opinion, suggestion or prediction related to the topic that ends the report.

****
Reprinted with permission from:

Blog URL: http://study-english-in-niagara-falls.blogspot.com/

Study Online to be an English Teacher

2009-11-10T16:44:00.000-05:00

AU Coupon Code: 023784

What's up with the Poppy?

2009-11-05T09:08:00.001-05:00

You will see many people wearing a plastic Poppy (red flower) on their label (collar) these days, in Canada and the UK.

November 11th is Remembrance Day (Veteran's Day in the US) and it is time to remember the fallen soldiers who have died in battle in our various wars in history.

If you are not sure what wearing the poppy symbolizes, I can help.
1 - it is a symbol to remember the fallen soldiers who have fought for your/our country/freedom
2 - you wear it on your left lapel/collar, over your heart, not on your right
3 - it is not a symbol supporting war
4 - it is not a peace symbol
5 - it is not a fashion piece
6 - money raised goes to help veterans (returned soldiers) live a little more comfortably
7 - You do not have to be from Canada, UK or USA to wear one. You can wear one to honour your own country's losses in previous war. It is about remembering soldiers, but not only the soldiers from Canada, UK and USA.
8 - It is a personal decision, but not a political or religious one.

More info can be found here on the Poppy and the history: http://www.legion.ca/Poppy/campaign_e.cfm

A famous poem was written by a Canadian Medic in WWI named John McCrae. The poem is about poppies growing in Flanders Fields. It is called 'In Flanders Fields'.

John McCrae

Monday Eve ESL Classes in Toronto - No Cost

2009-10-30T12:21:00.000-04:00

(This is a re-post from a friend's blog - I am not part of this organization - R.P.)

Every Monday evening from 7 to 8:30 PM there are free "ESL" English as a second language lessons and classes.

The free English conversation classes are offered at the Saint Paul's Anglican Church located at 227 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

St. Paul's is located about 200 metres east of the Yonge and Bloor Street intersection on the south side of Bloor Street.

If traveling by subway you can exit at Yonge and Bloor - then walk east on the south side for about 2 minutes.

To enter use the big glass doors between the main church and the Reception Hall and follow the sign "ESL Cafe" to the right.

St Paul's provides the location as a public service to the community and provides tea and coffee which usually goes well with cookies. You are welcome to bring your favourite cookies.

The ESL English instruction is provided by volunteers. The volunteers have patience, enthusiasm, good-will towards all and some even have ESL teacher certification.

The ESL English conversation classes are at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.

The FREE ESL English conversation classes have operated at St Paul's for almost two years now and have helped adults, newcomers to Canada and students from Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Japan, China, Taiwan, Philippines, Cameroon, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Bulgaria, Russia, Poland, Italy, France, Spain and many other countries. You can meet new friends from around the world.

Conversation topics include current events, vacations, where to get stuff cheap, some politics, funny things about Canada and job training.

Come and visit us next Monday (or any Monday) and say hello to the volunteers: Dennis, Roy, Jack, Sue, Jenna, Joy and Ju and Ross.

FYI To talk to the outreach coordinator for this program ask for Elita Fung. Elita's phone number is 416-961-8116.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

History and Rituals of Halloween

2009-10-28T13:25:00.000-04:00

Halloween is almost upon us!

I would like to take this opportunity to remind all the readers of this blog that even though it is called 'SpeakEnglishBetter', the blogs' focus is also on learning and understanding culture. Why? Because as I have said a hundred million ka-billion times - English language cannot be used solely as a tool of grammar and spelling. To truly 'speak English better' you must understand the history and culture of English-speaking lands, especially if you are living in one now, permanently or temporarily.

I love Halloween. As kids we got to make our own costumes (with the help of Mom and Dad of course) and go out 'trick or treating' to get a bag full of candy! What more could a North American kid want? (All that sugar is soooo bad for you though....but we didn't care!)

Now as adults we might dress up in costume and go to bars or house-parties to drink instead, or we might stay at home and give out candy to little trick-or-treaters who visit our homes. It's still fun! And we MUST watch scary horror movies as well!

In the olden days, the costumes were 'evil' creatures, like devils, goblins, vampires, ghosts, and any of the other Silver Screen Matinee classic monsters. In the olden-olden days, when Halloween was first being 'developed' as a practice, the idea was to dress yourself up as an evil spirit in order to fool the real evil spirits around, so that they would leave you alone. In fact, did you know that one of the reasons why we have the custom of covering our mouths while we yawn is not just out of politeness, but to avoid 'spirits' entering our bodies? Yes, we humans were very superstitious many years ago!

Anyway, if you would like to learn more about the history of Halloween, including the name, the colours, the costumes, the religious influences and the jack-O-lantern (carved pumpkin) please do a little more reading at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween or start asking folks around you about their experience with Halloween.

Enjoy this rather odd but fun celebration, and do not get sick on too much candy! (or 'sweets' as my British friends would say!)

Happy Halloween 2009!

Idioms from Farm Animals

2009-10-24T10:45:00.000-04:00

HORSE:
"Horsing around" - means to be fooling around, wrestling or playing physical games. Little kids are often told to stop this by parents. E.g. "You boys stop horsing around outside and come eat your dinner!"
"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse" - means to be so hungry that you can eat a lot of food.
"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink" - means that you can guide someone to the answer or to a good solution to their problem/situation, but you cannot force them to do the thing that you recommend. E.g. John: "Did Jimmy quit smoking yet?" Barb: "No. I showed him pictures of cancer victims and everything, but you know what they say, you can lead a horse to water..."
"Work like a horse" - means to work hard.

DOG:
"Dog-tired" - means to be very tired, just like a panting dog.
"Dogging me": - to 'dog' is to pursue. Just like a hound dog chasing a deer, we can say that a person or issue is dogging us or hounding us. E.g. "The boss keeps dogging/hounding me about that report that's due at 5pm, so please help me out and give me your notes!"
"Sick as a dog" - means to be very ill. We get a wet nose, just like a dog!
"Lazy as a dog" - means to be lazy.
"Work like a dog" - means to work hard, like a sheep dog.

CHICKEN & ROOSTER:
"You're (a) chicken" - means to be afraid or to be a coward. E.g. "You won't go into that old haunted house because you're (a) chicken!" Notice that you can use this word as a noun or adjective.
"Cocky" - from the British English name 'cock' or what the North Americans call a rooster. The attitude displayed by the male chicken on a farm is 'cocky' because he walks around as if he owns the place! Calling someone cocky usually means that they are over-confident or arrogant.

PIG:
"Pig out" - means to eat like a pig, and consume a lot of food in a short amount of time.
"Pig-tails" - the cute hairstyle that girls wear when their hair is separated into two 'pony-tails' on each side of their head, thus looking like two bouncy curled-up pig-tails.
"Pig-headed" - means to be stubborn. We can also say 'bull-headed' to mean the same thing.

These idioms are up-to-date and ready to use in everyday life, or in the office. They are the same idioms I teach my clients and students. Enjoy! - Ric

Origins of Canadian Thanksgiving (this weekend!)

2009-10-10T13:50:00.000-04:00

Canadian Thanksgiving - How It Began

The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are more closely connected to the traditions of Europe than of the United States. Long before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place in Europe in the month of October. The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the New World. That means the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts!

Canadian Thanksgiving - Official Holiday

For a few hundred years, Thanksgiving was celebrated in either late October or early November, before it was declared a national holiday in 1879. It was then, that November 6th was set aside as the official Thanksgiving holiday. But then on January 31, 1957, Canadian Parliament announced that on the second Monday in October, Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed." Thanksgiving was moved to the second Monday in October because after the World Wars, Remembrance Day (November 11th) and Thanksgiving kept falling in the same week.

Canadian Thanksgiving - The 49th Parallel

Another reason for Canadian Thanksgiving arriving earlier than its American counterpart is that Canada is geographically further north than the United States, causing the Canadian harvest season to arrive earlier than the American harvest season. And since Thanksgiving for Canadians is more about giving thanks for the harvest season than the arrival of pilgrims, it makes sense to celebrate the holiday in October. So what are the differences between Canadian and American Thanksgiving, other than the date? Not much! Both Canadians and Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with parades, family gatherings, pumpkin pie and a whole lot of turkey! What will you be doing to celebrate Thanksgiving this year? Do you have any family traditions that you're looking forward to? Let us know all about your Thanksgiving plans!
(This post is from KidzWorld - original post: http://www.kidzworld.com/article/2614-canadian-thanksgiving )

For more information on Canadian Thanksgiving:
http://www.twilightbridge.com/hobbies/festivals/thanksgiving/canada/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_%28Canada%29

What am I doing?
I will eat Turkey with tons of side dishes, complete with lots of wine, with my close family tonight.
I am going to gain 5 pounds in 3 hours!

Bad Grammar - Catchy Song too!

2009-10-04T10:41:00.002-04:00

Clink, Then Drink! Do Not Put Down That Glass!

2009-10-01T09:01:00.000-04:00

Hello,

Here is a tradition that I have always known and obeyed, yet I cannot say for sure if it is a Canadian-only tradition. I suspect not.

When someone 'toasts' you (proposing a toast means to say something nice about you or your personal/business relationship before drinking) it is polite to listen attentively, make eye contact, smile of course, and then 'clink' or touch glasses (or bottles or cans) together once before drinking. You have probably seen this on countless movies and TV shows. However, the small point that is crucial to remember is this: do NOT clink then put your glass/bottle/can down! Ever! It is an insult. When you touch glasses it is important that you have at least a sip of your beverage before replacing your glass. This honours your friend/business partner/family member, and the words that were spoken, even if they were meant in jest (that means joking, having fun).

So the simple way to remember this rule, whether you or your partner have spoken the toast, is, as the title says, Clink, then Drink!

Enjoy!

Here's to you!
Here's to us!
Here's to long health and happiness!
Healthy, Wealthy and Wise!
Here Here!
Cheers!

Learn to speak Canadian

2009-09-28T14:08:00.001-04:00

Learn to speak Canadian

Shared via AddThis

American Accent Reduction Resource

2009-09-22T18:36:00.004-04:00

Lynn Bo is the founder of Accent Master. She is an American teacher who has an interesting blog that has videos and podcasts as well as posts regarding accent reduction or accent modification. You may find them useful, if you are interested in studying or imitating pure American English.

http://accentmaster.blogspot.com/

I have a slightly different accent, as I am from Toronto, Canada. My vowels are tighter and my enunciation is clearer than the average American. This is not a judgment, it is a fact, just as the British English accent is even tighter than the Canadian. That is how to tell the difference, and to determine where a person you are speaking to comes from.

I teach Accent Reduction a lot here in Toronto. I enjoy helping people speak clearer and more confidently. I know it is hard work to 'teach an old dog new tricks', but it is worth the time if you feel your accent is holding you back from personal or professional success.

Once again, here is Lynn Bo's blog to check out:
http://accentmaster.blogspot.com/

ESL books, CDs etc. here

2009-09-13T10:16:00.002-04:00

Hello,

If you are an immigrant, ESL teacher or student, I think this is a good place to visit and see if they have anything you need.

http://www.esldepot.com/index.php?a=CommCoach1

They cover categories such as English as a second language games, teaching advice, vocabulary building, English test preparation, resume writing, pronunciation, etc.

Looks good! I have no problem suggesting them to you. Go here:

http://www.esldepot.com/index.php?a=CommCoach1

Continue studying!

Let's Mingle with Myngle!

2009-08-26T11:26:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone,

I have had a request to introduce to you Myngle, a cool online language-learning company. I will now let a representative from Myngle describe their company:

Myngle is a pioneer of live online language learning. Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Myngle removes the physical dimension for language learning, allowing students and teachers to get one-on-one real time online lessons from wherever they are. This has resulted in students and teachers participating from over 150 countries.

Myngle is free for students and teachers to sign up. It does not only provide online live individual and group lessons, but also personalized packages, asynchronous products and free resources for a complete learning experience for Myngle students.

In July 2009, Myngle had more than 65.000 students from 166 countries and 256 active teachers. Myngle website content is localized in 6 languages: English, German, Spanish, Italian, French and Russian.

Myngle selects and trains the teachers to ensure the quality of online language learning. All teacher candidates are required to send their CVs, from which Myngle will check each teacher’s experience and qualifications. If the teacher meets Myngle’s quality standards, he/she will be invited for a consultation where the teachers’ teaching skills will be tested and reviewed.

Awards and Nominations:
-Nominated for Best European Web Application or Service EMEA in Techcrunch The Europa’s Tech Awards in July 2009
-FEM BusinessTop 5 Start up Media in The Netherlands, in June 2009
-Plugg2009 People’s choice award, in March 2009
-Best ICT Company at the European Venture Summit, in December 2008
-Accenture Innovation award in October 2008
-One of 33 hot Dutch web 2.0 companies, in August 2008
-Most promising ICT Company in Benelux, in March 2008

BACK TO SCHOOL!

Back to School with Myngle and a Full Immersion Package of 95EUR. For a period of 30 days you can take up to 30 lessons of 30 minutes each. There are 45 teachers who offer this programme.

MYNGLE SHOP
You will be able to buy products that assist and complement your live online classes. For now you can choose from more than 120 products in 12 languages (Audio lessons in 6 languages, Digital Dictionaries in 3 languages, Iphrase finders and podcasts in 12 languages).

By Urmila Tamang
Myngle Customer Care
Email: ask@myngle.com

http://www.myngle.com
Wibautstraat 129
1091GL, Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Textbooks are the Beginning, Not the End

2009-08-22T10:15:00.002-04:00

I love books. I enjoy flipping through the pages and seeing if the style of the book matches my learning style. In that way I will know if I will read it and understand it, or if I will be bored and waste my time and money.

I have taught ESL (English as a Second Language) since 1997, in Asia, Europe and North America. I have taught at colleges and private schools, and now for my own company (3V Communications: http://www.CommunicationCoach.ca ).

At school we are 'forced' to read certain books, because they are 'good for us'. No problem. That's life.

However, one important thing to remember, for students and teachers, is that textbooks are the beginning of knowledge, not the end. A textbook is a solid base, but it is not a perfect fit for everyone. Therefore you must 'tailor it' to the class, country, ESL level and even if possible, to the individual.

3 letters you should always remember: ISV. What does ISV stand for? "Industry-Specific Vocabulary". Whether you are working or are a student, you need general English books of course, but you also need to practice your specific field of interest or career. Makes sense right?

Think of the textbook like vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Pretty good by itself. But if you add a few things that you really like (eg. cherry, maple syrup, gummy bears? etc.) it will make a great sundae for you! Okay, your English study should have the same philosophy.

Start with the solid base of Vanilla or Chocolate ice cream, and then add the 'toppings' that will make it 'tailored' to your tastebuds. Same as with English. Text books are great, but you need to add to them. What could you add?
ISV, appropriate cultural references, idioms & slang, related history, models and templates, field trips, etc.

That way you can really enjoy teaching ESL and/or learning ESL that is tailored to your unique situation. We are all unique, right?

Enjoy!

Important Idioms from Baseball

2009-07-21T19:28:00.004-04:00

I was preparing some Baseball idioms and expressions for one of my clients that I will see tomorrow, when I thought that I should at least add a few here, on this blog, for you too! ;)

It is easy to find lots of sites that have baseball idioms and expressions. You can find many with a simple search. However, knowing the idioms does not mean that you understand it. Therefore I suggest you also find a source that explains what the expressions mean as well.

For now, here is an excerpt from one such blog:

Baseball English – Important Idioms
(excerpt from “Kenneth”, a blogger on English Café.com) http://www.englishcafe.com/node/8616

Baseball Terminology

to get to first base - There are four bases in baseball. You must get to first base to start.
to come out of left field - to be thrown from the left part of the playing surface. This includes third base and the left outfielder position.
to have two strikes against you - Three strikes and you are out in baseball.
to hit a home run - to hit a ball which can not be fielded and sends the batter around the bases to score a run.
ballpark figure - The ballpark is where baseball is played.
to play hardball - Major league baseball is hardball. A hardball is a small, hard ball. There is also softball which is larger and softer.
to touch base - To touch the base with your foot
to pinch-hit - to bat for someone else
major league - the top professional baseball league
minor league - the secondary professional baseball league
to play the field - to catch, throw and generally play baseball. Playing the field is the defensive position of a team, while batting is the offensive position.

Baseball Idioms

to get to first base - accomplish the first step in a process
to come out of left field - to not be related to the current topic / to seem strange in a given situation
to have two strikes against you - to be in a difficult situation
to hit a home run - to have a large success
ballpark figure - a rough financial estimate, not exact but enough to give an indication
to play hardball - to be extremely competitive often in an unfair manner
to touch base - to contact someone - often someone with whom you haven't been in contact for a long time
to pinch-hit - to substitute for someone
major league - serious competition or competitor
minor league - competition which is not threatening (opposite of major league)
to play the field - to date several different people

You can follow the title above to get to Kenneth's full posting, including a quiz!
Enjoy!

Written First Impressions Count Too - A Proofreader's Top 8 Tips

2009-07-20T00:18:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone,

I am excited to share with you a guest author for today’s Ezine. She is a professional editor/proofreader. Liz Lourenco is a personal friend of mine as well, and has agreed to share some great advice on how to avoid accidentally sending out bad reports, resumes and other special documents. She, on behalf of her partner Paul Jenkins, has authorized me to create a special promotion for my 3V Communications newsletter subscribers (that is you!). As you know I strive to bring you the best information and advice available on all things communication, and that includes writing. Whether you are a native or non-native English speaker, this service may prove invaluable to you, or someone you know. Therefore if you wish to use their service, anytime from now until the end of this year (2009), please get your 10% discount on all your work that I have negotiated for you by entering the special promotion code mentioned at the end of this article. Without further ado, please enjoy this insightful and valuable advice written by Liz Lourenco.

"You only get one chance to make a first impression..."

The quality of your writing can say a lot about you and how you do things. Mistakes in your writing can look unprofessional and give the impression that you are sloppy or in a hurry. On the other hand, clear and error-free writing shows that you pay attention to details and that you take your work seriously.

But let's face it - we all make mistakes. In fact, it's part of the human condition. Mistakes in writing are often caused by the brain's incredible ability to auto-correct errors. Take these sentences for example:

"The olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae . The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm."

According to a Cambridge University study, most can read this without any problems. Non-native English speakers may have a harder time depending on their experience level in reading. But the point is that the brain auto-corrects mistakes and makes them invisible. This means that if you make a mistake, you may not see it when you are proofreading your own document.

To avoid mistakes in your writing here are some proofreading tips:

1) Re-read your writing - at least once - hopefully many times.

2) Read slowly. If you have just finished writing, check it until you can't find any mistakes and remember to take your time.

3) Take a break. You are actually hoping that your brain will forget to auto-correct this time - so the more time you give it, the better. This way you can allow yourself to look at your writing with a fresh perspective.

4) Use your spell-checker (and if possible a grammar-checker) to find mistakes.

5) Find a quiet place without any distractions. If you are in a frenetic office or environment, go to a coffee shop, a stair-well or wherever you can, to clear your mind and avoid interruptions.

6) Read it out loud. Not only will you find glitches in the flow of sentences, but you will find spelling, punctuation and grammar errors - as your brain processes things it hears and sees differently...(to finish reading this article, and to find out how to get the 10% discount, please click this article's title above, to go to the full article posted on my website. Thank you - Coach Ric)

Why are Mexican and Czech Visas Now Restricted?

2009-07-14T22:46:00.003-04:00

Canada now requires a visa for people coming from both Mexico and Czech Republic. Mexico is the biggest source of refugee claimants in Canada, with claims tripling since 2005 to 9,400 last year, or 25 percent of the total. Only 11 percent were accepted. There is a group of 'Roma' refugees from the Czech republic that have piled into Canada in that last year as well.
The recent flood of refugee claims, and the suspicions that most were not legitimate, caused the government to re-instate a visa requirement.

E.U. is angry. Tourism takes a big hit.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is defending the decision to impose visa requirements for Czech and Mexican nationals after Canadian businesses and foreign diplomats criticized the move. Click this for a short video explaining it:

http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-ca&brand=sympatico&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:51e01113-0483-48f2-a324-97233cf0f64e&showPlaylist=true&from=inline&fg=gtlv2

For Yahoo! News article click here:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/090713/canada/canada_us_visas_1

Are you a Good or Bad Traveller?

2009-07-11T13:41:00.001-04:00

According to an article on Yahoo! News today, here are some best and worst traveller rankings:
French are the worst, Japanese are the best.
To learn more about this, plus Americans, Canadians, Spaniards and Greeks, please click the above title to this post or click here:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/090710/oddities/lifestyle_tourism_travel_france_offbeat

What do you think about these results?

For me, I am reminded that stereotypes are based in truth. Most of these make sense from my experience travelling and from teaching people from all over the world.

Note - this article does support my opinion that I made in a blog posting a couple entries ago on my other blog (http://www.communication-coach.blogspot.com ), about Canadians being very adaptable. I was happy to see that.

Enjoy the short and interesting article.
Enjoy your weekend too!

Have you heard of Twitter? Follow me!

2009-07-08T22:20:00.001-04:00

Free notes, points, tips, advice, postings, articles, thoughts and who knows what else! Such is the spontaneous mystery of Twitter. Follow me here: http://twitter.com/CommCoach

Coach Ric

Canadian English Pronunciation

2009-07-01T17:11:00.003-04:00

Today, July 1st, is Canada Day - our birthday. I thought this might be of interest to those who enjoy the sound and study of Canadian English.

Canadian English (CanE, en-CA) is the variety of English used in Canada. More than 26 million Canadians (85% of the population) have some knowledge of English (2006 census). Approximately 17 million speak English as their native language. Outside Quebec, 76% of Canadians speak English natively. Canadian English contains elements of British English in its vocabulary, as well as several distinctive “Canadianisms”. In many areas, speech is influenced by French, and there are notable local variations. However, Canada has very little dialect diversity compared to the United States. The phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon for most of Canada are similar to that of the Western and Midland regions of the United States, while the phonological system of western Canadian English is identical to that of the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and the phonetics are similar. As such, Canadian English and American English are sometimes grouped together as North American English. Canadian English spelling is a blend of British and American conventions. (source: Wikipedia)

I would also like to add my two-cents to this. I was born in a small town and now live and work in Toronto. I personally hear different English dialects here in Canada. I hear the standard “mid-west” accent that Hollywood and the media love to use, although it is split up into 2 accents. One is the ‘professional’ accent which you will hear in the big cities and in professional circles. The vowels are tighter, proper grammar rules are adhered to and the vocabulary is richer.

The other accent is the ‘relaxed’ English, which you can hear in small towns and in manual labour or “blue collar” circles. In this dialect, the people do not mind purposefully breaking some grammar rules, have a variety of rich and colourful slang and favourite expressions used, and sound more “American” in their pronunciation of longer, stretched out vowels.

There is also the distinctive French-Canadian or “Quebecois” accent (Think Georges St.Pierre from the UFC) which is quite different from accents from other French speaking countries. There is the distinctive “East-Coaster” accent, due to the previous immigrants from Ireland and Scotland (hence Nova Scotia – New Scotland) and finally there is the native/Inuit/aboriginal accent.

A few resources to study Canadian English Pronunciation:

http://www.accentoncanadianenglish.com/
http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/3vc-accent-reduction-program-description/7349543
http://voicetoword.ca/index.html
http://www.voiceandspeech.com/
http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/britishcanadianamericanvocabcanadianpron.html
http://www.ic.arizona.edu/~lsp/Canadian/canphon3.html
http://www.esl-guide.com/links/search.cgi?Country=Canada

I apologize that most of these resources are Ontario-based. Please do a local search to see what in-house or online resources are available to you. Find a good teacher, tutor, coach or trainer with experience and references, and for goodness sake - ask if he or she was born in Canada!

Happy Canada Day!

Acronyms for Crime and Policing

2009-06-29T19:13:00.002-04:00

To continue from my last blog, here are some popular acronyms that you may hear on cop shows or cop films. Plus, if you apply to become a police officer, you should be aware of these acronyms. Having English as a second language should not stop you from enjoying dramatic shows or applying to serve your community!

E.T.A. - Estimated Time of Arrival
D.O.A. - Dead On Arrival
M.O. - Modus Operandi - latin for mode or style of operation or the way a perp performs crimes. The pattern s/he follows.
C.O.P. - Citizen or Constable On Patrol - cop is the common nickname for a police officer.
D.U.I. - Driving Under the Influence (of drugs or alcohol)
B & E - Break and Enter - burglary
P.I. - Private Investigator
C.I. - Confidential Informer/Informant - someone the police use to get inside info from the streets or criminal gangs.
B.O.L.O. - Be On the LookOut for - notice to all officers to search for or be aware of a particular person.
A.P.B. - All Points Bulletin - also known as a citywide - same as BOLO.
C.Y.A. - Cover Your Ass - Do the job right, by the book, and document everything to prove that you did everything correctly.
S.W.A.T. - Special Weapons And Tactics team/squad - highly trained paramilitary officers, used in hostage situations and other dangerous events. On TV and in film, they are always dressed completely in black.

That should be enough to give you a better English base for policing.
Memorize them and then incorporate them.
Enjoy!

Coach RIc

Cop Talk - Learning the Idioms and Slang of the Police

2009-06-24T14:11:00.005-04:00

Do you enjoy watching police TV shows (like COPS, CSI, Law & Order...)and films in English? There are lots to choose from for sure. Or perhaps you want to apply to become a police officer? You NEED to learn a lot of idioms and slang. You need to know a lot of 'everyday idioms' like "It's pouring rain" (raining really hard - do not use the old idiom 'raining cats and dogs'), it came from "out of the blue" (surprising, unexpected) and "The real McCoy" (genuine, the real deal, not a fake) but you also need to learn more industry-specific slang and idioms to do with policing and crime. For example:

There's a "wino" in the alley - Wino means stereotypical alcoholic homeless person.

"Reefer. Blunt. Chronic. Mary J. Grass. Weed" - These all refer to Marijuana. There are many more too!

"Cuff him and stuff him" - handcuff the perp (perpetrator or suspect) and put him in the back of the squad car.

"Something's going down right now!" - means some illegal action like a drug trade is happening right now.

"Hooker, Pro, Lady of the night, Streetwalker" - all refer to a woman who is a prostitute.

"I smell bacon" - bad guys say this when cops are around - refers to old nickname of calling the police 'Pigs'.

There are literally hundreds more, and I will add a few acronyms for you next entry.

If you want to improve your English in police slang in order to apply to be a constable or just to further enjoy your favourite TV shows and movies, take a little time to improve your Cop Talk first!

Coach Ric

PS - Need to improve your everyday English idioms quickly and simply? Check out this ebook:
http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/everyday-english-idioms/2558817

Thank you!

Hire an Immigrant

2009-06-11T14:07:00.002-04:00

Here is an excellent resource for immigrants who are job-hunting and also for companies, large or small, who want to take advantage of overseas training but are not quite familiar how to do it professionally. This website has excellent free training videos, with actors going over scenarios on the resume, interview and hiring process. The Canadian employees review and discuss the immigrant's CV and communication skills. They show you two videos - the wrong way and the right way!

ANyway I thought that these videos were well done and the website has a lot more information on how human resources can sucessfully screen and hire immigrants. Enjoy!

http://www.hireimmigrants.ca/

Here is a 'blurb' from their own website that I have copied here, introducing their free online videos:

Cultural Competence Videos

These cultural competence videos are intended to increase your company's capacity for recruiting, selecting and integrating skilled immigrants. There are currently videos on screening and interviewing, with more to come in the future. Each video contains several sub-topic chapters to highlight specific issues. The chapter shows a questionable episode, then preferred, followed by a few suggested discussion questions.

The videos have been posted online to support anyone with human resources responsibilities who would like to build on their own level of cultural competence and create an inclusive work environment. Organizations can also use the videos for internal training purposes.

For more go here: http://www.hireimmigrants.ca/tools/4

Coach Ric

Links to Study English - Twitter too!

2009-06-08T15:14:00.003-04:00

Study ESL English on Twitter
http://twitter.com/StudyESLEnglish

Recent Twitter Updates features definitions, examples and links.

Welcome to Study ESL English - ESL stands for English as a Second Language - this includes speaking writing listening and reading

ESL students usually study and practice English as a language for communication and to improve their active abilities to use the language.

EFL stands for English as a Foreign Language - Many students study EFL as an academic subject & not for using English for communication

Introduction to descriptions definitions explanations: ESL EFL ISL ESOL ELT L1 L2 Go to: http://www.eslincanada.com/esl.html

English Conversation Lessons and Classes Explanations Definitions Examples: http://www.eslincanada.com/englishconversationclass.html

English Language Conversation Skills require language ability + content + (social + non-verbal communication skills) + culture knowledge.

Link to Learn English Blog - http://learn-english-blog.blogspot.com/ - features English language education articles

Study English as a Second Language Plan - Blog Article - go to: http://bit.ly/1bB6Gh

FREE ESL English Education Article Links - Go to: http://www.eslincanada.com/articles.html

Phrases are considered as the 2nd level of classification as they tend to be larger than individual words, but are smaller than sentences.

We refer to the central element in a phrase as the head of the phrase. If the head is a noun then the phrase is called a noun phrase

There are 9 accepted classifications for English language phrases generally based on the headword or construction of the phrase.

In the English language noun phrases may serve as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, or objects of prepositions.

Remember Study ESL English is free on Twitter

See all of the updates

Sign up today !!!
(Original Post from J.R.M. of ESL in Canada)

GG Ate Some Seal - So What??? Connect with Cultures

2009-05-27T15:25:00.002-04:00

There has been a lot of talk about Canadian Governor-General Michaelle Jean partaking of some seal's heart on her trip to the North Inuit culture. Some people feel that she is great, for honoring the unique and important Inuit culture. Others think it is animal cruelty, or that this act is clearly not an accident, in that it was a political stunt to show solidarity with the Inuits and the rest of Canada in the face of the European Union ban on seal products recently.

I am not a politician, just a small-town Canadian man who has travelled a fair bit and who works with immigrants here in Toronto everyday. What do I think, dare you ask?

I say good for her. Whether it was political or not, she honored her guests with a very old tradition. To not partake of the meat would be offensive, unless you are a vegetarian.

When I lived in China for 2 years, I ate dog meat. More than once.

Will I do it again? probably not. I love dogs and grew up with them as pets. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I had been 'in-country' for at least 6 months, and i lived in a really small community (Tongren city, Guizhou province). I tried my best to fit in. I spoke Chinese, ate their food and followed their customs where possible. In turn, they learned about Canada from me. I was an unofficial ambassador!

When I was in Thailand I ate a flash-fried cockroach to win a bet. I got a free 'Leo' beer!

When I was in Japan I ate horse sashimi. Yup. Raw horse! Even though I love Japanese food, I think that will be the last time I eat horse sashimi. Not my cup of tea. The point is, I try. I follow my hosts and I learn about the culture. As Canadians we expect our visitors and immigrants to do the same for us, so why not do the same for them, especially when the culture is right inside Canada!

Here is an article about our brave GG. http://www.vancouversun.com/Technology/Canada+Governor+General+criticized+eating+seal+heart/1633528/story.html

At the bottom there lists some other 'politically-charged meals' for others.
Bon Appetit!

Care for a Bloody Canadian Drink?

2009-05-12T21:43:00.004-04:00

Most people outside of Canada do not know nor understand the Canadian cocktail known as the (Bloody) Caesar. This is truly one of my favourite drinks, and I love making them at home. Whenever I travel I end up discussing drinks and this invariably comes up.

If you want to know or understand Canadians a bit better, or you want to fit in, try ordering a Caesar next time. You may be surprised and actually like it!!

Read the full article by clicking on the title above, to learn about the history and ingredients of this Canuck cocktail!

http://ca.lifestyle.yahoo.com/food-entertaining/articles/drinks-desserts/cp/home_family-a_caesar_celebration_saucy_canadian_cocktail_hits_the_big_4-0

The Agenda: Canadian Citizenship Debate

2009-04-29T14:50:00.000-04:00

Re-writing Canada's Citizenship Book?

2009-04-29T14:39:00.003-04:00

There was a hot debate on last night's local TV show The Agenda with Steve Paikin, over the definition and requirements for Canadian citizenship. Issues discussed were language proficiency (in either English or French), multiculturalism vs. integration, what history should be taught, melting pot vs. mozaic theory here and in the USA, LINC classes, etc. Excellent debate. Here is a related article on the subject. (Click this title to view the whole article).

Conservatives order rewrite of 'insipid' citizenship guidebook
By Bruce Cheadle, The Canadian Press

The current guidebook for Canadian newcomers includes two pages on environmental stewardship and barely a mention of the Canadian military - and that has Jason Kenney hopping mad.

Kenney, the Conservative minister of Citizenship and Immigration, has ordered an overhaul of the 12-year-old citizenship test and accompanying educational material.

It's part of a government push to foster greater integration of immigrants into the Canadian mosaic, Kenney told The Canadian Press in an interview.

The current 47-page immigrant booklet, entitled "A Look at Canada," dates from 1997, when the previous Liberal governments were just four years into their 13-year run.

As Kenney acerbically characterizes it, the booklet includes two pages "on recycling" - but "not one single sentence on Canadian military history."

And while the guidebook includes such national motifs as the Maple Leaf, the Peace Tower, Sir John A. Macdonald and the Constitution of 1982, Kenney noted that "nowhere does it indicate what the poppy represents as a Canadian symbol."

"This is ridiculous. This is indicative of a completely insipid view of Canada," said the minister.

"I don't think newcomers arrive here because they want to move into a hotel that happens to be called Canada...
(To continue reading this article, please click the title above.)

Where Did the English Language Come From?

2009-04-12T11:48:00.002-04:00

What is this crazy language called English? What is the history of this internationally used 'milkshake' of a language?
I found this article very interesting on the history and development of the English language. Here is a start:

A short history of the origins and development of the English language

The history of the English language really started with the arrival of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD. These tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, crossed the North Sea from what today is Denmark and northern Germany. At that time the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language. But most of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north by the invaders mainly into what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Angles came from Englaland and their language was called Englisc from which the words England and English are derived. (to continue reading, follow link below)

Go to http://www.esldepot.com/index.php?a=CommCoach1
On top bar menu click on last one called "Free ESL Stuff". Second article down is called "What is English?". Continue reading this interesting article.

Enjoy the history lesson!

New Links to Improve English

2009-04-07T20:45:00.001-04:00

Hello,

I have revised the tab on the right side of this blog to include a few new links to help you study ESL. Scroll down a bit and on your right you will see:

Links to Improve English

* Everyday English Idioms Ebook
* ESL in Canada Information Directory
* ESL Depot - Resources
* English (E.S.L.) Coaching - Toronto
* Communication Resource Centre

I hope you find them helpful.
Thanks,
Ric

English Lessons with Mary Moore

2009-04-06T10:42:00.003-04:00

Hello,

I got this ad in my inbox today, from my club membership at eCademy. I am not affiliated with this teacher nor any of her products. I don't know her. But I thought I would pass on this offer to you, in case you are interested in taking advantage of the special she is offering. Any questions or problems, do NOT ask me - I don't know! Please deal with Mary directly. Thank you for understanding my position. Here goes:

_______________________________________________________________________________

Do you want to improve you English skills or do you have friends, colleagues, employees that would need to sharpen their written as well as spoken English?

Grab this opportunity ! - Help yourself or use this to help your contacts !

Non native English speaking members of eGraffiti as well as their friends are free to get a free lesson twice a week from April 7 to 14 only.
That makes it possible to try online learning, and to find out your level as far as spoken and written English is concerned. Plus, a bonus lecturette on how to gain proficiency in any language.

And the offer is even better !
- every time you find a paying student, you get a bonus lesson from the teachers of "English with Mary Moore" or with Mary herself.

All you need is to contact Mary Moore, and find a suitable time, according to your timezone (lessons 24/7) !

OFFER IS GOOD FOR THE FIRST 50 MEMBERS/FRIENDS of eGraffiti members.

Contact:
"English With Mary Moore ®"
website: www.englishwithmarymoore.com
mail: info@englishwithmarymoore.com
skype: marymoore2007
msn: marymoore2006@hotmail.com
gmail: marymoore2007@gmail.com
eGraffiti Club: http://www.ecademy.com/module.php?mod=club&c=7086

Comparing Communication and English Conversations Skills

2009-03-22T08:16:00.001-04:00

What are the English Language Conversation Skills?

English Language Conversation Skills include language abilities, conversation skills, social skills, culture knowledge and non-verbal communication skills.

Non-verbal communication skills are classified as posture, body movements, gestures, facial expressions, proximity and eye contact.

In English speaking countries the non-verbal messages can represent from 50-93% of the meaning.

Social skills and culture knowledge can be generalized as "what to say, when to say it, where and why to say it, and most important how to say it".

When learning English Language Conversation Skills ESL students must learn: language abilities, conversation skills, social skills, culture knowledge and non-verbal communication skills. ESL Students need everything if they actually want to converse with native English speakers.

ESL Students can not just learn English vocabulary or English pronunciation as it represents less than 50% of most conversations.

What are some of the Professional Communication Skills?

The ability to add charisma to your speaking and interpersonal communications.

The ability to create initial rapport even on first phone calls or meetings.

The ability to build rapport easily in meetings, networking functions, or conversations.

The ability to use specialized industry or business English using industry-specific vocabulary for accuracy.

The ability to emote the appropriate emotion at the correct level.

The ability to create and deliver persuasive and dynamic presentations and speeches.

The ability to display confident leadership and competent management or knowledge.

Other specialized skills include customer service, handling complaints, conflict management.

There are many similarities between conversation and communication skills. Both are very important. One could generalize that communication skills add extra dimensions to conversation skills. One example: Conversations can transmit information where communication skills can transmit trust.
(original post by Ross McBride - ESL in Canada. Reprinted with permission)

Idioms from Snow

2009-02-22T11:02:00.003-05:00

Well it is the season for this topic, at least here in Canada and the northern U.S.
(I have modified these from http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/snow)

To be (as) pure as the driven snow:

Pure and chaste (Often used ironically.)
E.g. Jill: Sue must have gone to bed with every man in town. Jane: And I always thought she was as pure as the driven snow!

A snow bunny:
1. Someone learning to ski.
E.g. This little slope is for snow bunnies. They call it the ‘bunny hill’.
2. A young, attractive female at a skiing lodge.
E.g. Some cute little snow bunny came over and sat beside me. This place is swarming with snow bunnies that have never even seen a ski.

Snowed in:
Trapped (somewhere) because of too much snow, most likely due to a recent snow storm.
E.g. The snow was so deep that we were snowed in for three days. Luckily we had enough food to last us a while.

Snowed under:
Overworked; exceptionally busy.
E.g. Look, I'm really snowed under at the moment. Can this wait?

A snow job:

An attempt to persuade or deceive someone by praising them or not telling the truth.
E.g. Dane will need to do a snow job on his Dad if he's ever going to borrow the car again, after getting into so many fender-benders (minor car accidents).

Enjoy and stay warm!

To Sing or Not to Sing O Canada at School

2009-02-03T08:19:00.000-05:00

Hi folks,

This is a great cultural question: Should this country's national anthem, O Canada, be sung each morning at school, or just once in a while at school ceremonies? Here is an article:

N.B. parents force school to reinstate O Canada, call for others to follow

By Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press

Susan Boyd wants O Canada to be mandatory at the start of the day in elementary schools across the country after she successfully fought for the anthem's return at her daughter's tiny school in New Brunswick.

Belleisle Elementary in Springfield, about 40 kilometres northeast of Saint John, played the national anthem Monday morning.

"It's one step forward, but our job isn't done yet," Boyd said in a telephone interview.

"We have to continue and have it legislated that it's mandatory. Otherwise it could be overturned in another few weeks or even a year or two from now if it's not written in stone."

School principal Erik Millett incurred Boyd's wrath and a torrent of angry calls and emails in recent weeks after a group of parents complained that O Canada wasn't being played before classes.

Millett, who couldn't be reached for comment Monday, moved the anthem to monthly assemblies in September 2007, saying it was a more "inclusive" option.

The principal has told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal that using the anthem at the monthly assemblies would give it "more prominence, more importance."

Before his decision, one child had been sitting outside class when the anthem was played at the request of the child's parents, and for reasons that haven't been publicly released.

A school board spokesman said the child's situation played a role in Millett's decision to drop the anthem.

When Boyd's daughter told her recently that she was forgetting the words to O Canada, the 43-year-old mother of two started a campaign to bring it back.
(to read the rest of this article, please visit this link:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090202/national/no_o_canada )

Who Cares That GSP Has an Accent?

2009-02-02T21:12:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone,

I know this post is not really communication-related, except if you consider that GSP (Georges St.-Pierre) has a thick French-Canadian accent, but I just HAD to write a quick WOO-HOO and congratulations to our home-grown UFC champion (MMA - Mixed Martial Arts) Georges "Rush' St.-Pierre on defending his title against BJ 'the Prodigy' Penn, from Hawaii. BJ is a great fighter, but I am relieved that GSP won and proud that he did it in such a convincing way. When you are THAT good, no one CARES that you have an accent!!!

Don't ever let an accent slow you down or convince you that you can't follow your dreams and ambitions. Ever!

Swimming Idioms Part 1

2009-01-26T22:42:00.000-05:00

(from http://www.business-english.com/swimmingidioms/menu.php with some modifications)

If you are 'out of your depth', you don't have the necessary knowledge, experience or skill to deal with a particular situation or subject. In North America, a common replacement is ‘out of your league’, as in major league baseball.
• When she started talking about quantum physics, I felt completely out of my depth/league.
• I'm an engineer. I feel out of my depth when we discuss accounting problems.
• That woman is so beautiful. She is definitely out of my league!

If you are on 'the crest of a wave', you are being extremely successful or popular. If something is popular, you can try to 'ride (on) the wave'.
• That singer is on the crest of the wave in the pop charts at the moment. You can hear his music everywhere.
• He became successful riding on the wave of using British actors as villains in Hollywood movies.

If you don't get any training before you start a job or activity, you are 'thrown in at the deep end'.
• Everyone was off sick so I was thrown in at the deep end.
• The best way to learn the job is to be thrown in at the deep end.

If you are struggling to spend less than you earn, you are trying to 'keep your head above water'.
• Since they increased my rent, I've been struggling to keep my head above water.
• With the new sponsorship, the team should be able to keep its head above water.

If a company has to stop business because of losses, it 'goes under'.
• The company couldn't afford to pay its suppliers and it went under.
• In this economic climate, a lot of businesses will go under.

If you are in a very difficult situation, you are 'in deep water'.
• If the bank doesn't give us this loan, we could be in deep water.
• He was caught stealing from his company and now he's in deep water.
• Note: this has been commonly replaced with the more street-slang phrase ‘in deep sh_t’. This of course is a curse-word.

Swimming Idioms Part 2

2009-01-26T22:41:00.001-05:00

If you 'make a splash', you get a lot of public attention.
• We need to make a splash by holding a cocktail party for journalists.
• She made quite a splash when she wore such a small dress to the film premiere.

If a noise is 'drowned out’, you cannot hear it because of other noises.
• The sounds of the telephone were drowned out by the noise from upstairs.
• His speech was drowned out by the chanting from the demonstrators.

If you 'test the water', you try to find out what you or people think about an idea or a situation before you take action.
• Before you decide to sell your house in England and move to Spain, why not go there for a trial three months to test the water?
• This is a big project. We should test the water before making such a large investment.

If a situation is 'sink or swim', it either fails or succeeds.
• Either this works or we are all out of a job. It's sink or swim.
• You'll get no training here. It's sink or swim.

If you 'dive into' something, you do it without really thinking about what you are doing. Also ‘dive into it head-first’. This highlights the lack of preparation and thought.
• He dove into the project with a lot of enthusiasm but not much thought.
• Let's take our time. There's no point in diving into this without thinking.

If you are 'treading water', you are staying in the same place without making any progress.
• I'm just treading water, waiting for a job with a better salary.
• People lose motivation if they think they are just treading water in their careers.

Can you think of other idioms to do with swimming to add to this list?

What's wrong with these sentences?

2009-01-06T13:25:00.000-05:00

Bushisms: U.S. leader sets standard for mangled phrases during presidency
By The Associated Press

President George W. Bush will leave behind a legacy of Bushisms, the label stamped on the U.S. leaders original speaking style. Some of the president's more notable malapropisms and mangled statements:

-"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." - September 2000, explaining his energy policies at an event in Michigan.

-"Rarely is the question asked, is our children learning?" - January 2000, during a campaign event in South Carolina.

-"They misunderestimated the compassion of our country. I think they misunderestimated the will and determination of the commander-in-chief, too." - Sept. 26, 2001, in Langley, Va. Bush was referring to the terrorists who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks.

-"There's no doubt in my mind, not one doubt in my mind, that we will fail." - Oct. 4, 2001, in Washington. Bush was remarking on a back-to-work plan after the terrorist attacks.

- "It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber." - April 10, 2002, at the White House, as Bush urged Senate passage of a broad ban on cloning.

- "I want to thank the dozens of welfare-to-work stories, the actual examples of people who made the firm and solemn commitment to work hard to embetter themselves." - April 18, 2002, at the White House.

-"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again." - Sept. 17, 2002, in Nashville, Tenn.

(NOTE: The proper saying is: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!")

-"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - Aug. 5, 2004, at the signing ceremony for a defence spending bill.

-"Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." - Sept. 6, 2004, at a rally in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

- "Our most abundant energy source is coal. We have enough coal to last for 250 years, yet coal also prevents an environmental challenge." - April 20, 2005, in Washington.

- "We look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job." - Sept. 20, 2005, in Gulfport, Miss.

-"I can't wait to join you in the joy of welcoming neighbours back into neighbourhoods, and small businesses up and running, and cutting those ribbons that somebody is creating new jobs." - Sept. 5, 2005, when Bush met with residents of Poplarville, Miss., in the wake of hurricane Katrina.

-"It was not always a given that the United States and America would have a close relationship. After all, 60 years we were at war 60 years ago we were at war." - June 29, 2006, at the White House, where Bush met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

-"Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die." - Dec. 7, 2006, in a joint appearance with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

- "These are big achievements for this country, and the people of Bulgaria ought to be proud of the achievements that they have achieved." - June 11, 2007, in Sofia, Bulgaria.

- "Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit." - September 2007, in Sydney, Australia, where Bush was attending an APEC summit.

-"Thank you, Your Holiness. Awesome speech." April 16, 2008, at a ceremony welcoming Pope Benedict to the White House.

-"The fact that they purchased the machine meant somebody had to make the machine. And when somebody makes a machine, it means there's jobs at the machine-making place." - May 27, 2008, in Mesa, Ariz.

-"And they have no disregard for human life." - July 15, 2008, at the White House. Bush was referring to enemy fighters in Afghanistan.

- "I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office." - June 26, 2008, during a Rose Garden news briefing.

-"Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have helped transform 13 small colonies into a great and growing nation of more than 300 people." - July 4, 2008 in Virginia.

- "This thaw - took a while to thaw, it's going to take a while to unthaw." Oct. 20, 2008, in Alexandria, La., as he discussed the economy and frozen credit markets.

FUNNY!!!

Try these Tongue-twisters

2008-12-21T19:52:00.000-05:00

Tongue twisters are a great way to practice not only correct pronunciation, but delivery as well. I want you to first read these sentences slowly and with care to pronounce them correctly. Then read them a second time at medium 'normal' delivery speed. Finally, read them as fast as you can, trying to maintain clarity of speech. A friend can help you judge your clarity of words and appropriate speed.
Enjoy and Merry Christmas to you all, and happy holidays!!!

A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.
(note: ‘thunk’ is a purposeful mispronunciation or slang of ‘thought’.)

Red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry.

Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.

Ruby Rugby's brother bought and brought her back some rubber baby-buggy bumpers.

Which witch wished which wicked wish?

Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep. The seven silly sheep Silly Sally shooed shilly-shallied south. These sheep shouldn't sleep in a shack; sheep should sleep in a shed.

Twelve twins twirled twelve twigs. Three twigs twined tightly.

Crisp crusts crackle crunchily.

Don't pamper damp scamp tramps that camp under ramp lamps.

There are six shimmering sharks sharply striking shins.

Strict strong stringy Steven Stretch slickly snared six sickly silky snakes.

Just think, that sphinx has a sphincter that stinks!

They both, though, have thirty-three thick thimbles to thaw.

Cows graze in groves on grass which grows in grooves in groves.

Brisk brave brigadiers brandished broad bright blades, blunderbusses, and bludgeons -- balancing them badly.

They have left the thrift shop, and lost both their theatre tickets and the
volume of valuable licenses and coupons for free theatrical frills and thrills.

Fun right? Keep going!

Ric

Communication Resources and Our Forum

2008-11-27T10:14:00.000-05:00

Hello,

For those of you curious and interested in all things communication, not just English as a Second Language-related, I have a new fledgling website called the Communication Resource Centre. (http://www.CommunicationResources.ca )

You can find information on coaches, tutors, blogs, self-study materials, ebooks, courses, etc. Yes there is ESL material there.

Also, we have a new FORUM where people like yourself can ask questions regarding communication, or give your own answer/opinions to other questions.

The forum is a redirect page from the new website I mentioned. You can find it there, or you can go to it directly here:
http://apps.communicationresources.ca/Forum/TopicGroup/

Enjoy the resources and the forum.

T.O. Communication Workshop - NOV 22

2008-11-19T21:42:00.000-05:00

BRASI Presents:

BrasiMPACT: Communication Skills Refinement; Impact & Influence
Focusing on quickly building interpersonal communication skills and public speaking improvement, with a segment on accent reduction. Geared towards professional immigrants who need to deal with clients, suppliers, managers etc. Ric Phillips, Communication Coach, will provide the small-group training.

Saturday, November 22 2008 9am-3pm
North York Memorial Hall (Gold Room B)
5110 Yonge Street
Concourse Level
Toronto, ON M2N 5V7

Contact Aftab Khan
416.388.8556
info @ brasi.org
http://www.brasi.org/english.php

Register NOW for only $185.00!!! No time to wait!

Learn About the Power and Complexity of English Words

2008-11-18T12:59:00.001-05:00

Hello,

If you would like to learn more about the connotation and denotation of English words, and how it can affect how we interpret words and phrases, plus some amusing differences between British and North American English use, please follow this link to view the latest 3VC newsletter, on my website.
http://www.communicationcoach.ca/pb/wp_925208bb.html?0.46025956605205165

Enjoy, and then integrate!

Foreign Accent Syndrome

2008-11-15T12:17:00.000-05:00

Hello,

I saw this news clip today online, and was so amazed by it, I thought I would pass it on to you. It's about people who suffer some sort of brain trauma, and when they recover, they speak in a new voice - usually with what seems to be a recognizable regional accent like say British, French or Spanish. Some people think they are faking it, but that is a lot of acting for many years. Watch the video or do your own research if you like - you be the judge. Interesting stuff! Here is the video link:

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?rn=222561&cl=10658658&ch=224106

Or you can read a bit more at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_accent_syndrome