How to Learn English - Step by Step

How to Learn English - Step by StepHaving studied how to learn English and been in the business of teaching for many years, I have made it a practice to spend a considerable amount of time on how to learn English. It is far more important than the amount of money you spend on a course, because there are no 'quick fixes' available. You have to take it slowly, build your confidence, and go at your own pace.The idea of how to learn English is quite different to other courses, because you don't want to skim through the material, hoping to grab on to a particular concept. You want to be confident with the material and for a period of time you will have to focus on one topic at a time. It is only when you are ready to tackle a different topic that you can move on to the next.The best way to start studying English, is to look at a reading material, and then work your way through that material. A good example would be the BBC series 'What's English For Christmas'.If you have had success with other material that you've learned for free, then you can use that material to guide you through the first part of how to learn English. Here's a tip that is particularly useful when you're first learning a new language:Once you've tackled the first few lessons of the course, it's a good idea to sit down with a dictionary to see what words are available to you. Often English is simply too much information for your memory to cope with. By visiting the dictionary you can get a quick idea of which words you'll be studying and which ones are simply an irritation.Don't be afraid to get stuck, if you find it difficult to understand what the teacher is talking about, remember you need to put your mind to it. There are usually more words to learn, so don't feel like you have to stop just because you can't understand what's being said.The great thing about taking an English course is that once you have picked up the basics, you are able to go back and study everything again, as time allows. These tips will help you go through the first few lessons of the course properly and begin to master the language in no time.

Can I use an indefinite article with a plural noun

Can I use an indefinite article with a plural noun Rule:Dont use indefinite articles with plural words.Incorrect:He hasa muscular arms.Correct:He hasmuscular arms. Rule:Use a partitive structure with words that are never singular.Incorrect:She worea blue jeans. (Other examples: shorts, pants, jeans, leggings)Correct:She worea pair of blue jeans. Exception:Words like series and species look plural, but they are also singular and can be used with an article.Correct:I founda seriesof books at the bookstore that I really enjoy reading.Correct:The Golden Palm Weaver isa speciesof bird in the Ploceidae family. Exceptions that defy explanation:An amazing two days, an awkward ten minutes, a whopping twenty-five pounds, a good many books, etc. Error Correction Exercises:  Find Irregular Plural Errors,  Correct Irregular Plural Errors Please follow and like us:

Helping Your Child Build a Greater Depth of Understanding in Math

Helping Your Child Build a Greater Depth of Understanding in Math Helping Your Child Build a Greater Depth of Understanding in Math You may have heard education experts, researchers or media outlets refer to mathematics curriculum in the United States as being a mile wide and an inch deep. The problem with math education, according to many, is that U.S. math teachers have historically been asked to cover far too many topics in each grade, resulting in students who have only a vague understanding of a lot of areas rather than a deep understanding of fewer, more essential topics. Students are introduced to advanced concepts haphazardly and before they have had an opportunity to master certain basic skills. Of course, the Common Core State Standards are changing all that. Researchers have concluded that mathematics education in the United States must become substantially more focused and coherent in order to improve mathematics achievement in this country, (corestandards.org). As a result, the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics will embody these three key shifts: Greater focus on fewer topics Linking topics and thinking across grades More rigorous overall (educators must help students gain a conceptual understanding of key math concepts, procedural skills and fluency, and application in situations that require mathematical knowledge) How can you help your child learn to apply math and use it as a problem-solving tool? Here are a few tips for parents when helping their child with homework: Have your child talk through math rules. As your child completes homework, periodically have him or her point out to you when a math rule is used and where that rule comes from. Explain the thinking. Even in the simplest math, have your child explain how he or she draws conclusions and why. That cognitive process is becoming more important in math than ever. Try different methods to solve problems. Children should practice using different approaches to solving the same problem and identify similarities among those different methods. Encourage students to visualize math problems. Help your child draw out visual representations of figures or numbers. For example, your child should be able to show what something (a shape, for example) would look like when divided up into fractions. Have your child talk about wrong answers. Just as students should know how to construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others (per the Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice), it is helpful for children think through incorrect answers and share their conclusions on why a certain answer to a problem is right and another is wrong. Use math in everyday life. Your child should practice writing down mathematical equations and assumptions when trying to solve real-world problems. He or she should use tools to aid understanding whenever it makes sensetools such as graphs, equations and flowcharts. Pay attention to detail. The new standards expect students to be precise when discussing math and working on math problems. Encourage your child to label his or her work, be neat and explain the symbols used in various mathematical equations. Precision and accuracy is important. As the Standards for Mathematical Practice state, students who lack understanding of a topic may rely on procedures too heavily. Although you may not feel equipped to help your child through probability and statistics homework, you can nurture his or her acquisition of a conceptual understanding of math. Encourage your child to make connections between mathematical ideas and life, use reasoning when working on math, and think critically about how math plays a role in day-to-day life. To learn more about the Common Core State Standards for Math, visit www.corestandards.org. About Huntington Huntington is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntingtons mission is to give every student the best education possible. Learn how Huntington can help at www.huntingtonhelps.com. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com.

25 things you didnt know about italki 2014 Infographic

25 things you didnt know about italki 2014 Infographic 2014 is over , and  we have prepared an infographic that shows 25 interesting statistics about language learning at italki during the past year. 27 years of language lessons hours!!!  Well done italki students! If you want to  kick-start your language learning in 2015, just 20 hours are enough with the italki language challenge. Dont forget to sign up for yourself and check what other students have to say about previous challenges. Do you like the infographic? Share it on your site! a href=http://blog.italki.com/2015/01/25-things-you-didnt-know-about-italki-in-2014-infographic target=_blankimg src=http://blog.italki.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/italki-infographic-20141.jpg alt=2014 italki Language Learning Statistics Infographic width=640px border=0 //apWhen sharing pleaseinclude attribution to italki.com/p 25 things you didnt know about italki 2014 Infographic 2014 is over , and  we have prepared an infographic that shows 25 interesting statistics about language learning at italki during the past year. 27 years of language lessons hours!!!  Well done italki students! If you want to  kick-start your language learning in 2015, just 20 hours are enough with the italki language challenge. Dont forget to sign up for yourself and check what other students have to say about previous challenges. Do you like the infographic? Share it on your site! a href=http://blog.italki.com/2015/01/25-things-you-didnt-know-about-italki-in-2014-infographic target=_blankimg src=http://blog.italki.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/italki-infographic-20141.jpg alt=2014 italki Language Learning Statistics Infographic width=640px border=0 //apWhen sharing pleaseinclude attribution to italki.com/p

The Ethics of Plagiarism

The Ethics of Plagiarism To put it bluntly, there are no ethics when it comes to plagiarism. Copying someone else's work or getting someone to write it for you is deeply unethical and is one of the Cardinal Sins of university life; to the extent that some unis will kick you out on your first offence, if it's serious enough. Compare this to their stance on students who are involved in crime and drugs (strangely lax, as long as they don't indulge on their turf), and you begin to see how seriously they take it. At its core, it's anti-academic and anti-learning; and while you may gain a few grade points, you won't have actually benefitted at all in an educational sense. But what does 'plagiarism' consist of, exactly? How do you define it? After all, isn't all work based on something? Aren't we all, in a sense, 'standing on the shoulders of giants'? The classic response is that it is perfectly reasonable to relay someone else's ideas and use them in your own argument, as long as you state the fact, usually by formally referencing them (the Harvard Referencing System is the mode du jour for UK unis). But what if you ask a tutor, or a friend, to look over your work, to check for grammar and spelling? They'll go uncredited, usually; and without their input you may have received a lower mark. But I doubt many people would count this as plagiarism. Now, let's take it one step further. So you ask your tutor/friend to look over you work, and they duly do so. But they find a critical flaw in your argument, or something you've overlooked. They give you a suggestion for improvement, and you duly act upon it. Your paper is marked and you get a first. Happy days. Now, is that plagiarism? After all, the genesis for a critical part of your argument came from someone else, uncredited. Basically, there's a sliding scale of personal-vs-external work input, ranging from asking others to be human spellcheckers to the wholesale thievery of another person's words and ideas. Like all sliding scales, where do you draw the line? There is no black-white binary we can easily define. The issue is compounded when you consider students whose first language is not English. As good as their command of conversational English may be, they may have a fundamental difficulty in conveying their thoughts and arguments in an effective manner. Would it be wrong for them to ask a tutor to help? To have someone check their work, to iron out inconsistencies and improve the clarity of writing, often to the point where the final product is vastly different from the original? Some would argue that the person editing their work is merely 'teasing out' the non-native speaker's core argument, rather than 'writing it for them', but the reality of the situation differs case by case. As a rule of thumb, if the tutor is doing anything but helping you clarify your language and structure, you're doing it wrong. Policies on the above differ considerably from institution to institution. And while all unis are particularly strict on plagiarism, some take their fervour for originality to inquisition-like levels. From personal experience, I know of people who have been called up for plagiarism for incorrect referencing, which looks rather unforgiving however you cook it. Clearly, there is a broad difference of views on the matter. Grey areas abound. But from this mass of uncertainty we can distil a few drops of solid advice: - If you use another person's idea or argument in your paper, or even just mention it, reference it! - Regardless of how many eyes pass over your paper before you submit it, the core content must be your own. - If you're not a native speaker, and you decide to have a tutor proofread your text, acknowledge them in some way at the beginning/end of the paper. - Basing your paper around so-called 'model answers' is at best educationally misleading and at worst demonstrates your lack of independent thought: use them at your own risk. - Getting someone to write your paper for you contravenes universal law and is a despicable thing to do. Ultimately, the only person you're cheating is yourself. For users of the site, you can check out our stance on the subject here.

How to Professionalize Your Social Media

How to Professionalize Your Social Media Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash Delete photos (or keep them private) that have illegal, or less than ideal, content Remember all those college ragers that you attended and just  needed  to keep documented on every social media platform imaginable. While it lasted a mere 24 hours on your Snapchat or Instagram story, they can easily be found on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram posts. Its no secret that many college-aged students drink or party, but you dont want to have that be the main theme of your social media profiles, especially if said photos were taken when you werent the legal age to drink. Save the photos before you delete them if you dont already have extra files saved somewhere else, but depending on the platform, hiding the photo by switching it to private or my eyes only so that you can still view it, but to the eyes of recruiters, it was never there. If you find yourself questioning what qualifies as professional or not, just imagine your manager coming across the post in question. If its something that would be the deciding factor in keeping your job, getting a promotion, or even getting hired its better off deleted and unassociated with your social media platforms. If you still find yourself questioning the post its better to be safe than sorry by deleting it. Remember those up-and-coming celebrities that have their career destroyed, or at least tampered, by a controversial tweet or photo from their past social media? You want to avoid being in the same situation with your future employers by  editing your social media now. Use your social media to advertise yourself as a potential employee showcase your work and network LinkedIn isnt the only social media platform you can use to accelerate your professional career. If used right, you can utilize your social media platforms to showcase your work and experience to hiring managers and recruiters when you professionalize your social media. For example, if you have had your work published on multiple sites, make sure to dedicate posts to your work. A new article published on a site? Dedicate a tweet to promoting it. Another video released that you took part in editing? Add a post on your Facebook linking to it. Dont be shy when it comes to bragging about all the effort you have put into building your career. If your social media profiles are going to be viewed by recruiters or hiring managers, you may as well make it into an opportunity to stand out among other applicants. After you have made an effort to professionalize your social media, you can use it to actively connect to people in your potential field. If youre not sure on where to start follow accounts that post open positions, career advice, or associated with the job you wish to pursue. Doing so will allow you to be up to date with the career you wish to pursue and help associate yourself and your social media with the field. Keep your audience in mind when you post and update your profile Now that you have put all the work into trying to professionalize your social media profile, make sure that you dont let your efforts go to waste by not filtering what you post in the future. This doesnt mean that you have to completely restrict yourself from letting your personality shine through your posts and profiles, but you do want to keep your audience in mind as you update your social media in the future. For a night out at the bar with your friends, you may have posted videos of you taking shots before adjusting to a professionalizing your social media profiles, but now it will be a better choice to post a nice group photo to commemorate the night before the shots even begin. This way, you can document your personal life and keep your personality and life on your social media, but you also wont turn off recruiters who come across your posts. When youve made an effort to professionalize your social media accounts, remember to maintain all the work youve put into the transition. If you find yourself struggling to do so or find that the efforts have come undone its never too late to switch your profiles to private if you dont want to risk your professional image.

Literacy, Do We Need it Today

Literacy, Do We Need it Today Literacy defines the personal level of proficiency in a native language. In common sense it mainly involves good reading, writing and speaking skills. However, full language literacy also includes abilities for critical understanding and analysis of the written or printed text; accurate and intelligible speech and writing; capacity to take informed decisions and generate creative thoughts on the basis of information learned from text. The question of the importance of literacy is often discussed today. Numerous word processing programs may correct spelling and grammatical errors. World history provides many examples, when illiterate or people unable to read became famous and achieved success. Homer was supposedly blind but this didn’t hinder him from becoming the greatest ancient Greek epic poet and to write the Iliad and the Odyssey. William the Conqueror, the first Norman King of England, never spoke English and was illiterate but had a great influence on the evolution of the English language. Nowadays many politicians, athletes and other celebrities also cannot boast of having perfect skills in the language arts. So, why should people spend time learning boring rules and subtle points of a writing system? Let’s think, what are the benefits of being literate? First of all, literacy is the primary form of information transmission today. That is why being literate is one of the basic factors on the way to the best achievements in education and career, especially in intellectual and high-tech areas. Most of people in our time would struggle to learn if they were unable to read.  The lack of reading skills obstructs children and adults from reaching their full potential as it prevents them from accessing the fundamental sources of knowledge. Being a fluent reader gives many favorable opportunities. Literacy is needed to be able to state thoughts correctly, to put the ideas in words and to express them, to ask questions in a right way. In other words, literacy helps people to understand each other better. Besides, incorrect writing and speaking requires from readers and listeners additional efforts to interpret the meaning of the text. So being literate is also considered as a sign of politeness. Literacy saves time. The readers may easily understand what was said or written and there is no need to spend time on extra explanations of something that was misunderstood. Literacy indicates that a person strives to improve himself. Very few people are lucky enough to possess a native intuitive literacy. Others have to work hard to obtain it and these efforts deserve respect. It is always pleasant to communicate with a literate person and the correct speech may be a great support at an interview or can help to make a good impression on your girlfriends parents. At the same time mistakes in oral speech or writing may incur ridicule and mockery. The clue to literacy is development of reading skills, improvement of auditory perception and deep comprehension of text. The fundamental components of fluent reading and understanding include phonetics (the study of speech sounds), orthography (the spelling system), morphology (the study of the forms of words), grammar (the arrangement of words and phrases) and semantics (the word meaning). However, only extensive practice and study may create a platform for full language literacy. Literacy is one of the keys to knowledge and education; it develops humans’ minds and allows them to achieve their goals; it is an intangible sign that unites people via time and space by means of unbiased words. Sure, literacy by itself is not an earnest of success, other talents and skills are also needed for personal progress. But no doubt that literacy makes it easier to cope with many life challenges and contributes into cultivation of intelligence and culture of each person. Visit TutorZ.com to find a tutor in English, reading, writing, phonics, grammar, vocabulary, linguistics and literature. Literacy, Do We Need it Today Literacy defines the personal level of proficiency in a native language. In common sense it mainly involves good reading, writing and speaking skills. However, full language literacy also includes abilities for critical understanding and analysis of the written or printed text; accurate and intelligible speech and writing; capacity to take informed decisions and generate creative thoughts on the basis of information learned from text. The question of the importance of literacy is often discussed today. Numerous word processing programs may correct spelling and grammatical errors. World history provides many examples, when illiterate or people unable to read became famous and achieved success. Homer was supposedly blind but this didn’t hinder him from becoming the greatest ancient Greek epic poet and to write the Iliad and the Odyssey. William the Conqueror, the first Norman King of England, never spoke English and was illiterate but had a great influence on the evolution of the English language. Nowadays many politicians, athletes and other celebrities also cannot boast of having perfect skills in the language arts. So, why should people spend time learning boring rules and subtle points of a writing system? Let’s think, what are the benefits of being literate? First of all, literacy is the primary form of information transmission today. That is why being literate is one of the basic factors on the way to the best achievements in education and career, especially in intellectual and high-tech areas. Most of people in our time would struggle to learn if they were unable to read.  The lack of reading skills obstructs children and adults from reaching their full potential as it prevents them from accessing the fundamental sources of knowledge. Being a fluent reader gives many favorable opportunities. Literacy is needed to be able to state thoughts correctly, to put the ideas in words and to express them, to ask questions in a right way. In other words, literacy helps people to understand each other better. Besides, incorrect writing and speaking requires from readers and listeners additional efforts to interpret the meaning of the text. So being literate is also considered as a sign of politeness. Literacy saves time. The readers may easily understand what was said or written and there is no need to spend time on extra explanations of something that was misunderstood. Literacy indicates that a person strives to improve himself. Very few people are lucky enough to possess a native intuitive literacy. Others have to work hard to obtain it and these efforts deserve respect. It is always pleasant to communicate with a literate person and the correct speech may be a great support at an interview or can help to make a good impression on your girlfriends parents. At the same time mistakes in oral speech or writing may incur ridicule and mockery. The clue to literacy is development of reading skills, improvement of auditory perception and deep comprehension of text. The fundamental components of fluent reading and understanding include phonetics (the study of speech sounds), orthography (the spelling system), morphology (the study of the forms of words), grammar (the arrangement of words and phrases) and semantics (the word meaning). However, only extensive practice and study may create a platform for full language literacy. Literacy is one of the keys to knowledge and education; it develops humans’ minds and allows them to achieve their goals; it is an intangible sign that unites people via time and space by means of unbiased words. Sure, literacy by itself is not an earnest of success, other talents and skills are also needed for personal progress. But no doubt that literacy makes it easier to cope with many life challenges and contributes into cultivation of intelligence and culture of each person. Visit TutorZ.com to find a tutor in English, reading, writing, phonics, grammar, vocabulary, linguistics and literature.