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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Learning Basic English Grammar - PRONOUNS

PRONOUNS



  • A pronoun is a word that takes the places of a common noun or a proper noun.
  • In this chapter, you'll learn about:
                     - personal pronouns
                     - reflexive pronouns
                     - interrogative pronouns
                     - demonstrative pronouns


Personal Pronouns

  • I,you,he,she,it,we and they are called personal pronouns.
  • These words are used as the subject of the verb in a sentence.
e.g : 



  1. My name is Jason. I am a lawyer.
  2. This is my younger sister. She is a dancer.
  3. I have a brother and five sisters.
  4. They are Shawn, Sally and Peter.
  5. I have a cat. It is called Phoebe.
  6. My family and I live in a a big city.
  7. We have an apartment.


NOTE!! 


 The subject of a sentence is the person, animal, place or       thing that does the action shown by the verb.



  • Me, you, him, her, it, us and them are also personal pronouns.
  • These words are used as the object of the verb in a sentence.
e.g : 

  1. I am standing on my head. Look at me.
  2. My mother is kind. Everybody likes her.
  3. Lisa, I told you to tidy your bed!
  4. Sharon and Jenny! Dad is waiting for you!
  5. Lucky and I are playing in the park. Dad is watching us.
  6. You must not play with the knife. Give it to me.
  7. Pick up your toys and put them away.

NOTE!! 
The object of a sentence is the person, animal, place or thing that receives the action shown by the verb.

There are three groups of pronouns:
  • first person
  • second person
  • third person
1. First Person

  • is the first person speaking.
  • the first-person pronouns are I or me (in the singular) and we or us (in the plural)
2. Second person

  • the person spoken to.
  • the second person pronoun is you (in both singular and plural)
3. Third person

  • the person or animal or thing spoken about.
  • the third-person pronouns are he or him, she or her, and it (in the singular), and they or them (in the plural)

The word I is always spelled with a capital letter.
The pronoun he is used for men and boys, she for women and girls and it for things and animals.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Exercise on Masculine and Feminine Nouns

Exercise : 


Fill in the blanks with a suitable masculine and feminine noun.



  1. The host and the _________ welcomed their guests.
  2. The steward and the ___________ look after the passengers on the plane.
  3. My uncle and __________ lived in Nebraska.
  4. The king and the __________ had two children, a boy and a _______. The prince was eight and the ________ was five.
  5. Ladies and __________, welcome to our party this evening.

Leraning Basic English Grammar - NOUNS cont...

Masculine and Feminine Nouns


Masculine nouns are words for men and boys, and male animals.
Feminine nouns are words for women and girls, and female animals.


e.g : bride (feminine) ; bridegroom (masculine)
      hen (feminine) ; rooster (masculine)
      lioness ( feminine) ; lion (masculine)
      queen (feminine) ; king (masculine)


Here are some more masculine and feminine nouns for people.


Masculine               Feminine
actor                   actress
brother                 sister
emperor                 empress
father                  mother
gentleman               lady
grandson                granddaughter
headmaster              headmistress
man                     woman
nephew                  niece
son                     daughter
steward                 stewardess


Here are some masculine and feminine nouns for male and female animals.




Animal             Male               Female
chicken           rooster               hen
cattle            bull                 cow
deer              buck                 doe
donkey            jack                jenny
duck              drake               duck
fox               fox                 vixen
goose             gander              goose
horse             stallion            mare
lion              lion                lioness
sheep             ram                 ewe
tiger             tiger               tigress




Nouns that end in -ess and -ress often belong to the feminine gender.


e.g : actress,stewardess,lioness,tigress,princes,waitress.




Many nouns are used for both males and females.


e.g : accountants,parents,artists,designers,teachers.




Words for things that are neither male nor female are called neuter nouns.


e.g : bench,computer,leaves,sky,fire,floor,cake,wind



















Exercise on Plural Nouns

Exercise 1 : 


Do you add -s or -es to these singular nouns to make them plural? Write your answers on the lines.



  1. desk    __________
  2. class   __________
  3. comb    __________
  4. mug     __________
  5. bus     __________
  6. basket  __________
  7. peach   __________
  8. belt    __________
  9. taxi    __________
  10. box     __________

Exercise 2 :

Do you change -y to -ies, or just add -s to make these singular nouns plural? Write your answer.

  1. key        _________
  2. city       _________
  3. butterfly  _________
  4. monkey     _________
  5. fly        _________
  6. toy        _________
  7. baby       _________
  8. party      _________
  9. chimney    _________
  10. lady       _________

Monday, March 26, 2012

daily quotes

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. 
Norman Vincent Peale 

Learning Basic English Grammar - NOUN con...

Plural Nouns


When you are talking about two or more people, animals, places, or things, use plural nouns. Most nouns are made plural by adding -s at the end.


e.g :           Singular             Plural
                  bird               birds
                  broom              brooms
                  egg                 eggs
                 photo               photos


Some plural nouns end in -es.


e.g : glass - glasses
      bus   - buses
      watch - watches


Some plural nouns end in -ies.


e.g : butterfly - butterflies
      candy     - candies
      baby      - babies
      family    - families


What if there is a vowel before the y? In that case, add -s to form the plural.


e.g : key  - keys
      tray - trays
      day  - days


If a noun ends in -f, you often change f to v, and add -es.


e.g : calf  - calves
      elf   - elves
      half  - halves
      leaf  - leaves


Often nouns that end in -f, just need -s to form the plural.


e.g : chef   - chefs
      cliffs - cliffs
      roof   - roofs


For some words that end in -f, the plural can be spelled in two different ways.


e.g : dwarf  - dwarfs/dwarves
      hoof   - hoofs/hooves
      scarf  - scarfs/scarves


With some words that end in -fe, you change f to v, and add -s.


e.g : knife - knives
      life  - lives
      wife  - wives


If a noun ends in -o, you just add -s to form the plural.


e.g : a rhino    - rhinos
      a zoo      - zoos
      a kangaroo - kangaroos


But with some nouns that end in -o, you add -es to form the plural.


e.g : a tomato  - tomatoes
      a potato  - potatoes
      a hero    - heroes


With some nouns that end in -o, you can add either -s or -es to form the plural.


e.g : a mango  - mangoes/mangos




Some plural nouns don't follow the -s rule. They don't end in -s,-es,-ies, or -ves. Instead, the word changes form.


e.g : mouse  - mice
      goose  - geese
      child  - children
      man    - men
      ox     - oxen
      tooth  - teeth
      woman  - women


Some plural nouns are the same as the singular noun.


e.g : sheep    -  sheep
      reindeer -  reindeer
      bison    -  bison
      deer     -  deer
      fish     -  fish


NOTE!!


  You can use fishes as the plural of fish when you are talking about different kinds of fish : all the fishes of the Pacific Ocean.


Some nouns are always plural.


e.g : binoculars 
      goggles
      pants
      scissors
      shorts
      slippers


NOTE!!


  You can make these plural nouns singular by using a pair of :


    a pair of binoculars
    a pair of goggles
    a pair of shoes
  








     



Learning Basic English Grammar - NOUNS cont...

Singular Nouns


Nouns can be singular or plural. When you are talking about one person,animal,place, or thing, use a singular noun.


e.g : A woman, A boy, An airplane, A car


Use a or an before singular nouns. Use an before words beginning with vowels (a,e,i,o,u).


e.g : an axe, an egg, an envelope


But some words don;t follow this rule. For example, use a (not an) before this words that begin with u:




e.g : a uniform, a university


Use a before words beginning with the other letters of alphabet, called consonants.


e.g : a basket, a bowl, a car, a rainbow, a pillow.


But some words do not follow this rule. For example, use an (not a) before these words that begin with h.


e.g : an hier, an honor, an hour





LEARNING BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR - NOUNS cont.

2. Proper Nouns


      Proper nouns are names for particular people, places or things. They always begin with a capital letter.


e.g : Beethoven, Santa Claus


The names of countries and their people are also proper nouns.


e.g : America, American
e.g : Jason is in America. He is an American.


The names of towns,cities,buildings and landmarks are proper nouns.


e.g : Malaysia,  the Petronas Twin Tower.




The days of the week and months of the year are proper nouns.


e.g : Monday,January


The names of mountains,seas,rivers and lakes are proper nouns.


e.g : Mount Kinabalu


The names of festivals,some special events and holidays are proper nouns too.


e.g : Father's Day,Mother's Day






Exercise 1 :


Underline the proper nouns in the following sentences.



  1. July is often the hottest month in summer.
  2. One day Ali Baba saw the forty thieves hiding in a cave.
  3. Shawn and Ashley are going to the beach for a swim.
  4. Mr. Lee is reading a book.
  5. Uncle Mike is a lawyer.
  6. Next Tuesday is a public holiday.
  7. Many children enjoyed the movie Lion King. 


Exercise 2 : 


Underline the nouns that should be capitalized. Circle the nouns that should not be capitalized.



  1. Robert louis Stevenson wrote treasure island.
  2. The Capital of illinois is Springfield.
  3. My Friends and I prefer Glittergums toothpaste.
  4. Their Family visited Yellowstone national Park.
  5. Juan and maria attend kennedy Middle school.
  6. We had a Surprise Party for aunt Helen .
  7. Spring and Fall are my favorite Seasons.
  8. The Manager scolded his lazy Employees.

Learning Basic English Grammar - NOUNS

What will you learn:
1. Noun
2. Pronoun
3. Adjective
4. Verb
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection


NOUNS


There are two types of nouns which are:

  • Common nouns
  • Proper nouns


  1. Common Nouns
         Common nouns are words for people, animals, places, or things.

 e.g : people : artist,man,cook,teacher
       animals: tiger,wolf,cat
       places : museum,library,park

Exercise : 

Underline the nouns.

  1. There's a little bird in the garden.
  2. Who is your teacher?
  3. Don't eat that rotten apple.
  4. Kate has a lovely doll.
  5. I like reading stories.
  6. My father is a doctor.
  7. Every child has a dictionary.
  8. Rudy hates bananas.
  9. The phone is ringing.
  10. Here's a book for you.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Letter to readers

Dear readers,

I'm in the middle or reformatting my teaching concept and I will choose my the right audience and my method of teaching according to my readers' level of understanding.

Tq.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Presentation and Public Speaking in English


PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLIC SPEAKING
IN ENGLISH

PREPARATION

Good preparation is very important. Good preparation and planning will give you confidence. Your audience will feel your confidence and have confidence in you. This will give you control of your audience and of your presentation.

Consider these points when preparing:

Objective
'Why am I making this presentation?'
Your objective should be clear in your mind.

Audience
'Who am I making this presentation to?'
How many people? Who are they? Business people? Professional people? Political people? Experts or non-experts? A small, intimate group of 4 colleagues or a large gathering of 400 competitors?

Venue
'Where am I making this presentation?'
A small hotel meeting-room or a large conference hall? Facilities and equipment? Seating arrangements?

Time and length
'When am I making this presentation and how long will it be?'
Will it be 5 minutes or 1 hour? Just before lunch, when the audience is hungry, or just after lunch, when the audience is sleepy?

Method
'How should I make this presentation?'
Formal or informal? Lots of visual aids or only a few? With or without anecdotes and humour?

Content
'What should I say?'
Include only relevant information. Create a title for your presentation. The title will help you to focus on the subject. Prepare your visual aids, if any.


Structure
Organise your presentation in a logical structure. Most presentations are organised in three parts, followed by questions:

1 Introduction
-          welcome your audience
-          introduce your subject
-          explain the structure of your presentation
-          explain rules for questions

2 Body of presentation
-          present the subject itself

3 Conclusion
-          summarise your presentation
-          thank your audience
-          invite questions

+ Questions

Notes
Try to appear as spontaneous as possible. Do not read your presentation. Reading a text is boring and will send your audience to sleep! Use notes to remember everything you need to say. Some people make notes on small, A6 cards. Some people write down just the title of each section of their talk. Some people write down keywords to remind them.

Rehearsal
Practise your presentation two or three times so that you:
-          become more familiar with what you want to say
-          identify weaknesses in your presentation
-          can practise difficult pronunciations
-          can check the time that your presentation takes and make any necessary modifications

EQUIPMENT

Your most important piece of equipment is YOU! Check your personal appearance carefully.

Overhead Projector
The overhead projector (OHP) displays overhead transparencies (OHTs or OHPTs). It has several advantages over the 35mm slide projector:
-          it can be used in daylight
-          the user can face the audience
-          the user can write or draw directly on the transparency while in use

Whiteboard
The whiteboard is a useful device for spontaneous writing - as in brainstorming, for example. For prepared material, the OHP may be more suitable.

Duster
The duster is used for cleaning the whiteboard.

Markers
Markers are used for writing on the:
-          whiteboard (delible - you can remove the ink)
-          flipchart (indelible - you cannot remove the ink)

Flipchart
The flipchart consists of several leaves of paper that you 'flip' (turn) over. Some people prefer the flipchart to the whiteboard, but its use is limited to smaller presentations.

35mm Slide Projector
A slide projector must be used in a darkened room. Most slide projectors take 35mm transparencies or slides, but projectors for 6x6cm slides are also available.

Notebook Computer
The notebook computer is often used with an overhead projector, to project an image from the computer screen onto the wall screen.

Handouts
Handouts are any documents or samples that you 'hand out' (distribute) to your audience. It is not usually a good idea to distribute handouts before your presentation. The audience will read the handouts instead of listening to you.

DELIVERY

'Delivery' is the way in which you actually deliver or give your presentation. Delivery is at least as important as content.

Nerves
Most speakers are a little nervous at the beginning of a presentation. So it is normal if you are nervous. Pay special attention to the beginning of your presentation. This is when you establish a rapport with your audience. During this time, try to speak slowly and calmly. After a few moments, you will relax and gain confidence.

Audience Rapport
You need to build a warm and friendly relationship with your audience. Be careful to establish eye contact with each member of your audience. Each person should feel that you are speaking directly to him or her.

Body Language
What you do not say is at least as important as what you do say. Your body is speaking to your audience even before you open your mouth. Your clothes, your walk, your glasses, your haircut, your expression - it is from these that your audience forms its first impression as you enter the room. Generally speaking, it is better to stand rather than sit when making a presentation. Avoid repetitive and irritating gestures.

Cultural Considerations
If we imagine a German working for an Israeli company making a presentation in English to a Japanese audience in Korea, we can see that there are even many possibilities for cultural misunderstanding. Try to learn about any particular cultural matters that may affect your audience. Cultural differences can often be seen in body language. To a Latin from Southern France or Italy, a presenter who uses his hands and arms when speaking may seem dynamic and friendly. To an Englishman, the same presenter may seem unsure of his words and lacking in self-confidence.

Voice quality
Your audience must be able to hear you clearly. In general, you should try to vary your voice. Your voice will then be more interesting for your audience. You can vary your voice in at least three ways:
-   speed: you can speak at normal speed, you can speak faster, you can speak more slowly, and you can stop completely! Silence is a very good technique for gaining your audience's attention.
-   intonation: you can change the pitch of your voice. You can speak in a high tone. You can speak in a low tone.
-   volume: you can speak at normal volume, you can speak loudly and you can speak quietly. Lowering your voice and speaking quietly can again attract your audience's interest.

Visual aids
80% of what we learn is learned visually (what we see) and only 20% is learned aurally (what we hear). This means that:
-          visual aids are an extremely effective means of communication
-          non-native English speakers do not need to worry so much about spoken English since they can rely more heavily on visual aids

It is important not to overload your audience's brains. Keep the information on each visual aid to a minimum - and give your audience time to look at and absorb this information. Remember, your audience have never seen these visual aids before. They need time to study and to understand them. Without understanding there is no communication.

Apart from photographs and drawings, some of the most useful visual aids are charts and graphs.

Audience Reaction
Remain calm and polite if you receive difficult questions during your presentation. If you receive particularly awkward questions, you can suggest that the questioners ask their questions after your presentation.

LANGUAGE

Simplicity and Clarity
If you want your audience to understand your message, your language must be simple and clear:
-          use short words and short sentences
-          do not use jargon, unless you know that your audience understands it
-          talk about concrete facts rather than abstract ideas
-          use active verbs instead of passive verbs

Active verbs are much easier to understand. They are much more powerful. Consider these two sentences, which say the same thing:
Sentence 1: Toyota sold two million cars last year.
Sentence 2: Two million cars were sold by Toyota last year.

Which is easier to understand? Which is more immediate? Which is more powerful? Sentence 1 is active and Sentence 2 is passive.

Signposting
When you drive on the roads, you know where you are. Each road has a name. Each town has a name. And each house has a number. You can look at the signposts for directions. It is easy to navigate the roads. You cannot get lost. But when you give a presentation, how can your audience know where they are? They know because you tell them. Because you put up signposts for them, at the beginning and all along the route. This technique is called 'signposting' (or 'signalling').

During your introduction, tell your audience the structure of your presentation, for example:
"I'll start by describing the current position in Europe. Then I'll move on to some of the achievements we've made in Asia. After that I'll consider the opportunities we see for further expansion in Africa. Lastly, I'll quickly recap before concluding with some recommendations."

A member of the audience can now visualise your presentation like this:

Introduction
-          welcome!
-          explanation of structure (now)

Body
-          Europe
-          Asia
-          Africa

Conclusion
-          summing up
-          recommendations

Throughout your presentation, put up signposts telling him which point you have reached and where you are going now. When you finish Europe and want to start Asia, you might say:
"That's all I have to say about Europe. Let's turn now to Asia."

When you have finished Africa and want to sum up, you might say:
"Well, we've looked at the three continents Europe, Asia and Africa. I'd like to sum up now."

And when you finish summing up and want to give your recommendations, you might say:
"What does all this mean for us? Well, firstly I recommend..."

Here are some useful expressions to signpost the various parts of your presentation.

Introducing the subject:
"I'd like to start by..."
"Let's begin by..."
"First of all, I'll..."

Finishing a subject:
"Well, I've told you about..."
"That's all I have to say about..."
"We've looked at..."

Starting another subject:
"Now we'll move on to..."
"Let me turn now to..."
"Next..."

Analysing a point and giving recommendations:
"Where does that lead us?"
"Let's consider this in more detail..."
"What does this mean for ABC?"

Giving examples:
"For example,..."
"A good example of this is..."
"As an illustration,..."

Dealing with questions:
"We'll be examining this point in more detail later on..."
"I'd like to deal with this question later, if I may..."
"I'll come back to this question later in my talk..."

Summarising and concluding:
"In conclusion,..."
"Right, let's sum up, shall we?"
"I'd like now to recap..."

Ordering:
"Firstly...secondly...thirdly...lastly..."
"First of all...then...next...after that...finally..."
"To start with...later...to finish up..."

THE PRESENTATION ITSELF

Most presentations are divided into 3 main parts (+ questions):

-          Introduction
-          Body
-          Conclusion

As a general rule in communication, repetition is valuable. In presentations, there is a golden rule about repetition:

"SAY WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO SAY, SAY IT, THEN SAY WHAT YOU HAVE JUST SAID."

In other words, use the three parts of your presentation to reinforce your message:

In the introduction, say what your message is going to be.
In the body, say your real message.
In the conclusion, say what your message was.

Introduction
Use the introduction to:

Welcome your audience:
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen"
"Good afternoon, everybody"

Introduce your subject:
"My purpose today is to introduce our new range of..."
"I am going to talk about..."

Outline your structure:
"To start with I'll describe the progress made this year. Then I'll mention some of the problems we've encountered and how we overcame them. After that I'll consider the possibilities for further growth next year. Finally, I'll summarise my presentation (before concluding with some recommendations)."

Give instructions about questions:
"Please feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions."
"I'll try to answer any of your questions after the presentation."


Body
The body is the 'real' presentation. If the introduction was well prepared and delivered, you will now be 'in control'. You will be relaxed and confident.

The body should be well structured, divided up logically, with plenty of carefully spaced visuals.

Remember these key points while delivering the body of your presentation:
-          do not hurry
-          be enthusiastic
-          give time on visuals
-          maintain eye contact
-          modulate your voice
-          look friendly
-          keep to your structure
-          use your notes
-          signpost throughout
-          remain polite when dealing with difficult questions

Conclusion
Use the conclusion to:

Sum up:
"In conclusion,..."
"I'd like to sum up now..."

Give recommendations:
"In conclusion, my recommendations are..."
"I would suggest / propose / recommend the following strategy."

Thank your audience:
"Thank you for your attention."
"May I thank you all for being such an attentive audience."

Invite questions:
"Are there any questions?"
"Can I answer any questions?"

Questions
You may wish to accept questions at any time during your presentation, or to keep a time for questions after your presentation. It's your decision, and you should make it clear during the introduction. Be polite with all questioners, even if they ask difficult questions. Sometimes you can reformulate a question. Or answer the question with another question. Or even ask for comment from the rest of the audience.


REVIEW

In this seminar, you have learned:

-          to allow plenty of time for preparation
-          to ask the all-important questions: why? who? where? when? how? what?
-          to structure your presentation into introduction, body, conclusion and questions
-          to write notes based on keywords
-          to rehearse your presentation several times and modify it as necessary
-          to select the right equipment for the job
-          to use equipment effectively
-          to make use of clear, powerful visual aids that do not overload your audience
-          to use clear, simple language, avoiding jargon
-          to use active verbs and concrete facts
-          to explain the structure of your presentation at the beginning
-          to link each section of your presentation
-          to signpost your presentation from beginning to end
-          to say what you are going to say, say it, and say what you have just said
-          to overcome your nerves
-          to establish audience rapport
-          to be aware of your body language
-          to understand cultural differences
-          to control the quality of your voice
-          to maintain interest by varying the speed, volume and pitch of your voice
-          to deal with listeners' questions politely
-          to respond to your audience positively

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