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Tips For Understanding the Most Difficult Aspects of English

3/16/2017

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It is said that English is one of the most difficult languages to learn as a second language, and rightly so! For individuals whose native language is English, the language obviously appears very easy for them because they grew up with it and speak it naturally. For someone who speaks English as a second language, however, there are several areas that most people find very difficult to learn and master. This article will review and discuss some of the most difficult aspects of English, as it pertains to this population.

1. Pronunciation differences can be very challenging. 
When a person learns English as a second language, they must learn some new sounds that are not in their native language. Each person brings with them some of the sounds from their native language that are most similar to American English sounds. But, because these sounds don't match exactly, these differences create accents. The heavier the accent, the more difficult a person's speech is to understand. Probably the most commonly used sound and the most difficult to learn is the "r" sound because it can be a consonant and a vowel. The America English "r" sound is also formed differently than in most other languages. Other sounds that tend to be challenging are "w","v", "t","d","th", "ih" and "ee."

2. American English grammar has many exceptions to the rules! 
English grammar has what we call "regular forms" which follow specific rules and "irregular forms" that don't. Both have to be learned, which makes English grammar very difficult!

Let's look at the following examples: 
Regular plural words: To form regular plural words in English, just add an "s" or "es" to the end of the noun. 
For example, the word "hat" changes to "hats", and the word "bus" changes to "buses". Easy, right?

Irregular plurals 
That would be great if that's all there was to it, but wait a minute, not so fast! Just when you are thinking, "Hey, this isn't so bad", now you learn that there are just as many plurals that don't follow the rules. Irregular plurals can stay the same as the singular form or can change completely. These must be memorized.

For example, "mouse" changes to "mice", "goose" changes to "geese", and "ox" changes to "oxen".

Forming past tense verbs: 
Verbs in English must not only agree with the subject, but are formed in specific ways to indicate tense.

Regular verbs 
Regular verbs are verbs that follow the rules. For the past tense this means that they will always add "ed" to the end.

Let's take a look at an example: 
The verb "to walk" is a regular verb. To form the past tense, add "ed" to "walk", forming "walked."

Irregular verbs 
Irregular verbs are verbs that do not add "ed" at the end when forming past tense. These verbs may stay the same or change completely in spelling.

For example: 
The verb "drive" changes to "drove" 
The verb "say" changes to "said"

3. English is not a phonetic language. 
In some languages, it is easy to sound out a word because the sounds that letters make stay the same. English is not one of these languages, which makes it very difficult to learn. In English, there are many instances when a letter or series of letters do not say what you would think they would say, and they may not even be consistent.

Look at the following example of the letters "ough" in words. So confusing! 
"ough" can say several different sounds: 
"ough" in "rough" says "uff" 
"ough" in "ought" says "aw" 
"ough" in "though" says "oh" 
"ough" in "through" says "oo" 
"ough" in "bough" says "ow"

Yes, English can be very challenging to learn. With patience and dedication, however, one can significantly improve their spoken and written English. Practice makes perfect!
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Why Small Talk Is So Important and How To Excel In It

3/16/2017

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Each person we meet forms an impression of us, based on what we look like, our hand shake, our body language, and how we present ourselves in casual, but very important “small talk.”  Excelling at small talk goes a long way in creating a lasting impression, and one we hope is favorable.

Many of us are nervous when it comes to speaking with someone new, especially if we are in an interview, or if we are speaking with someone important at work.  If we unsure of what to say or are insecure about speaking with new people, we often wonder if what we said presented the impression we wanted to present.  What did they think of me?  Did I say anything stupid that I will regret later?  Did I say anything offensive? We all want people to like us and think highly of us, but not everyone has the gift of gab.  We don’t all know how to use small talk successfully.  This article will discuss how to use small talk to create a good impression.

1. Conversations are based on give and take.  
In every conversation, whether it is a casual or important, the speaker and listener take turns talking and listening.  A successful conversation must have that give and take.  Knowing that the person we are talking to is listening to us, is interested in what we have to say, and is participating in the conversation is what leaves a favorable impression.  If one person does all the talking, then the conversation is one-sided, and that is never a good sign. 

2. What is small talk?
Small talk is casual conversation that consists of talking about safe, non-threatening topics that will not offend anyone.  We often call this “chit-chat.”  Small talk consists of discussing casual, non-threatening topics such as:  the weather, sports, family, work, vacations, movies, books, cars, kids, holiday plans, etc.    

During light conversations, we try to avoid talking about any topic in which another person may have strong emotions, such as religion or politics. Bringing up a subject that elicits a negative feeling or that results in a heated discussion can be not only a conversation ender, but will most likely create a long-lasting negative impression.  

3. Don’t be afraid to initiate a conversation
If you ever feel that you would like to be able to talk to someone new, but just don’t know how to start a conversation, remember that small talk is the way to go.  We all have safe subjects in common, so finding one that both you and your listener enjoy discussing is what small talk is all about and is something that is a must in the American culture.
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Word Retrieval Difficulties:  What They Are and How to Overcome Them

3/16/2017

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We all have moments when we can't think of the correct word we want to say.  These "word retrieval" difficulties happen to everyone from time to time, whether you are a native English speaker or not.  If you speak English as a second language, however, this may happen more frequently.  This is because your language skills may not be as fully developed as a native speaker.  

But there is good news!  If you find that you are "stuck" and can't think of the word you want to say, try some of the following strategies to help you get past it.  

1.  Name a synonym for the word you want to say.
Think of a word that means the same or has a similar meaning to the word you want to say if you get stuck. 

Let’s look at some example:
Example 1:  large, big, enormous, huge, gigantic are synonyms
There is a large pile of clothes on the floor.
There is a big pile of clothes on the floor.
There is an enormous pile of clothes on the floor.
There is a gigantic pile of clothes on the floor.

Example 2:  small, little, and tiny are synonyms
I found a small doll.
I found a little doll.
I found a tiny doll.

2.  Describe the word you want to say.  
Even if you can't think of the word you want to say, a description of it may help trigger your memory, or your listener will be able to guess it.  When you describe a word, try to include as many features of it as possible, including:  category it belongs to (fruit, car, clothes), it’s function (what you do with it), what it looks like (size, shape, texture, what it is made of, etc)

Let's look at an example.
What's the name of the game we played the other night when we were at John's house?  I remember it was a board game with squares on it and red and black chips for playing pieces.  We had to move our pieces to the other side of the board to win.  (checkers)

Here’s another example:
The fruit I’m trying to think of it small and oval shaped.  It is kind of fuzzy on the outside.  You can cut it in half and eat the inside or cut off the skin.  You eat it raw.  It’s green on the inside.  (kiwi)

3.  Name the first letter of the word you want to say. 
Sometimes, we can’t seem to remember a word, but we know what letter it starts with.  This sometimes helps you remember the word you want to say or, given the context it can help your listener guess the word.

For example:  I know the first letter of the word is “d”, but I can’t think of the word.  

4.  Try thinking of an antonym for the word.  
An antonym is a word that means the opposite of a word. 

Let’s look at some examples:
It's not big or large (small)
It's something that isn't smooth (rough)
It's the opposite of night (day)

In summary, we all experience “word retrieval” problems at one time or another.  It can be frustrating when they occur, but we have some strategies that can possibly trigger our memory of the lost word or help our listener say the word for us.  

Using the above strategies can be lifesavers, so try to use them whenever you get stuck.  It will help alleviate your frustration, anxiety or fear of speaking and will help your listeners understand what you are trying to say!
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Using "Who" Versus "Whom" Correctly in American English:   I Should Use “Who” With “Whom?”

3/16/2017

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 I should use “who” with “whom?”

There are two words in English that you have heard and most likely used, but one of them may be challenging to use correctly: that would be the word "whom."

Let’s take a look at both “who” and “whom” in more detail, and hopefully it will all make sense.

When to use “who”
The word “who” is used as the subject of a sentence, which means it’s a noun, the person the sentence is about, or the person who is doing the action.  It is used as a pronoun.  This is the easy word to use correctly in American English.

For example:  
Who is that?
Who are you?
Who hit my car?  

When to use “whom”
The word “whom” is never the subject, it is always what we refer to as the “object of the sentence.”  This is the word that most people are not sure how to use or when to use it. 
For example:  
You are going with whom?  
Mark recommended whom for the new position?  

There are two tricks you can use to tell when to use “whom” that should help make it easier to use correctly.
1.  When “whom” is the object of the sentence, you should be able to replace it with “him” or “her”, and the sentence will still be grammatically correct.
For example:
You recommended whom for the position?
We can also say:  You recommended him for the position?
                         You recommended her for the position?
The words “whom”, “him” and “her” are all objects of the verb “recommended.”

2. The word “whom” is often used before a preposition.  When this happens, we say that “whom” is the object of the preposition.  Common prepositions that come just before “whom” may be “with”, “after”, “before”, “over”, “next to”, “under”, etc.

For example:  With whom are you driving?
                    You are in line after whom?
                    I don’t know from whom that package came.

Now that you know when to use “who” and “whom” correctly, it may sound somewhat weird or awkward to use “whom”, even when it is technically correct.    Why is this?  American English is changing, and even though grammar rules for these two words still apply, the word “whom” is gradually being used less and less. It may even eventually disappear from the language altogether.   When in doubt, use “whom” in a very formal speaking situation, especially is others around you are using it.  

As I always say, you cannot go wrong following grammar rules!  It just may depend on “with whom” you socialize or “who” is with you!
​
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Want to Have a Great Presentation?  Tell a Story!

3/16/2017

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In the business world, so many of us are required to give presentations and engage our audiences.  There is usually a lot of information to present, and we are left wondering how we can connect with our audience and leave a lasting impression.  How do we make our presentations memorable?  After all, there is nothing more boring than someone showing us charts and spitting out numbers and percentages.  

While there are obviously important facts that are mandatory, remember that a presentation is really a way to “talk” to your audience and let them become a part of your message.  What better way to do that than to tell a story?

So, how do you do create a story that makes your audience truly interested in what you have to say and want to hear more?

Your story must be relevant and fit your audience.
Telling just any story won’t make a great presentation.  You need to make sure that our story is relevant to your topic and fits your audience.  You want to the audience to respond with an “oh!” or “ahhh”, or be surprised in a way that really gets their attention.  

Your story must have a point
You want to build the story right into our presentation framework so that it is something they can relate to and makes practical sense. The point of the story must be clear.  Rather than just spitting out numbers and charts, make it realistic and fun.  The story puts everything together so that all of those numbers and all of the information make sense.  

Make your audience laugh
If your story is funny, that’s even better. Sometimes, you might want to relate something that actually happened to you that was funny and relevant to your project.  This keeps the audience engaged and interested. 

Always tell a story about a person and an experience they had.
Your story can be a success story, a failure, a humorous story, or something personal.  You may even want your story to have a lesson for others to learn.  If your story doesn’t have a personal message, then it won’t hit home with your audience. They should reflect on how the story affected someone and how it relates to the topic.

It’s not enough just to present information in a presentation, as it tends to make it dry and dull.  Spicing it up with a story or two that are relevant to your topic, teaching a lesson and saying something funny all help to engage your audience and keep them asking for more.  Your presentation is a way to deliver a message in the most interesting way possible so that they walk away actually remembering what you said, the important information and practical ways to use it.  ​
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Use Melody, Not Speaking Rate and Loudness, to Show Emotions

3/16/2017

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When we speak, there is much more to our message than just the words we say.  Our melody, sometimes referred to as stressing and intonation, plays a significant role in how others interpret what we say.  This is how our pitch goes up and down to convey our message.  

Another way to show emotion is in our speaking rate.  We associate someone who speaks quickly as being excited and sometimes inexperienced, while someone who speaks very slowly might be viewed negatively as someone who is boring or unintelligent.  

Speaking volume also tells a great deal about us. A very soft-spoken person may be viewed as insecure, while a person who speaks very loudly all the time may be viewed as someone who appears angry for no apparent reason.  

The best speakers of English speak using approximately 150 words per minute.  Broken down, it comes to 2.5 words per second.  If we focus on maintaining that rate during all speaking situations, whether we are angry, upset, excited, happy, or sad, can we still show our emotions effectively?  Of course we can!  

A person who keeps their cool under pressure and who can handle difficult situations without showing negative emotions are people who are most successful and are those that most of us try to emulate. 

We do not need to speak quickly or too loudly to show excitement, we can do it with our tone or melody.  We’ve all heard the expression that some people wear their emotions on their sleeves, which means that their emotions are transparent or that they show them easily, while other people, not so much.  Some people speak without emotion to the point where we can’t tell how they feel. While we don’t want to sound overdramatic all the time, it is equally undesirable not to show any emotions at all.  

Our melody should reflect our situation and our audience.  Let’s take for example a business manager who has a meeting with his team.  He is upset because their project is behind schedule.  Because he tends to show his emotions easily, he raises his voice and speaks very quickly when showing his anger and disappointment.  When yelling, all of the words he says are emphasized.  Maybe he says something like, “WE HAVE TO DO BETTER IF WE ARE GOING TO SUCCEED!” (The words in caps represent emphasized words).  What does his team think of him?  They think that he is a “hot head” who is unapproachable, both qualities being equally undesirable.  While having authority and control is an obvious strength for a leader, trying to obtain it in this way leads to disaster.

Let’s take the same scenario now with a business manager who is talking with his team about his unhappiness about their performance on their project and approach it from another angle. He speaks in a calm voice maintaining an appropriate speed and stresses the positive words he wants his team members to remember.  We will use the same sentence as before, but say it as follows: “We HAVE to do BETTER if we are going to SUCCEED.” (the words in caps represent emphasized words).  Now the team’s perception of their manager is much different.  They know that things are not going well, but because the manager stayed calm and spoke in a professional manner, they can now move on to solving the problem.  The team will be more motivated and want to please their manager more when treated with respect.  

In any professional or personal situation, we should all try to remember these important tips:  avoid yelling every time we find ourselves in a difficult situation, maintain our sense of calm by speaking at a consistent, appropriate rate, and emphasize the most important words we want people to remember.  Speaking too quickly, yelling, and stressing every word during an argument or difficult situation means we are out of control, and that is the last quality we want others to associate with us.
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Changing Speech Habits Can Feel Awkward for ESL Speakers

3/16/2017

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If you speak English as a second language and are participating in an accent reduction and communication skills training course to improve your American English, you may feel very awkward when you first start incorporating changes into your daily speech. This is common and very natural.

Why does this happen? You have been speaking English the same way for a long time and associate yourself with your particular speaking style and habits. It is natural for you to feel awkward and maybe even a little embarrassed when you first start pronouncing some sounds differently or making changes in your speaking rate and melody. Practicing in the privacy of your own home is easy because no one else can hear you, but when you feel comfortable with the changes during private practice sessions, it is time to start incorporating them into your everyday speech. This is where you may be hesitant to use them. You might listen to yourself speak and think, "This just doesn't sound like me!"

The bottom line is that it takes about a month before a new habit feels comfortable, and that is with daily practice. No one likes change, and you will naturally resist it when you first start letting people hear the "new you", even though you want to. Your new speaking patterns may feel and sound strange to you initially, so you might think that everyone who listens to you speak may also think it sounds strange.

The good news is that NO ONE will laugh at you or think you sound strange. The changes that you are making in your speech are going to sound much more natural to American English speakers and will help others understand your speech more easily. This is because it will be more in line with what they are used to hearing.

Changing an accent and speaking style are not always easy and, like most things, they take dedication and practice. Don't get discouraged and keep working on it. The results will be well worth it!

You may always have an accent and some language differences when speaking English; getting rid of an accent and differences completely is not the goal. The goal is to create speech that is easy for others to understand, thus eliminating any communication barrier that you may once have had. The key to success in today's society is successful communication, and that is what you will be striving for!
​
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What We Hear Isn't Always What We Should Imitate: Say It Ain't So, Joe!

3/16/2017

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Every day we hear people all around us speaking English. Some may be on the radio or television, while others may be having conversations we overhear on a bus, train, subway or as a passerby. Just because someone speaks English as a native language, doesn't necessarily mean that they speak correctly. We should be careful of what we choose to imitate unless we know that it is correct or appropriate.

What do I mean by this? There are a great many people who speak English with glaring grammar mistakes or who use non-standard words. While some words or grammar mistakes are acceptable in some regions of the United States, they are not necessarily standard American English and should not be used in everyday conversational speech. Let's take a look at one word in particular that you will want to avoid using like the plague!

The word "aint" has been around for a long time, and originally started as a contraction for "am not", "are not", "is not", "has not", "have not", as well as "does not", "do "not" and "did not. You may hear it in informal speech, especially in certain regions of the United States. It carries a negative association with it and is often associated with individuals from a low socio-economic or educational background.

Is "aint" ever acceptable to use? The simple answer is "yes", but only in specific instances. There are times when using the word "ain't" is acceptable, but only as an expression that has become a famous quote, either from a movie or reported incident.

Probably the most famous use of "ain't" comes from an incident that was reported in the newspapers in 1920 when professional baseball player Shoeless Joe Jackson was leaving the courtroom after apparently been accused of taking a bribe to lose the 1919 World Series. On his way out of the courtroom it is reported that someone shouted to him, "Say it ain't so, Joe." There is a lot of controversy as to whether or not this statement was actually said, however it became well-known and has been used by many ever since.

The bottom line is that you should be careful with the words you choose to use. Don't repeat a word or expression that you hear just because you hear someone say it. Check it out to make sure that it is standard American English and that it is appropriate to use.
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Did You Know That People Really Do Hear Grammar Mistakes? I Know It, But He Don't!

3/16/2017

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​Let's face it, even the best speakers make grammar mistakes from time to time. We are human and with that comes imperfections. It's just the way things are. Minor grammar errors are common and don't really have a significant impact on our spoken English. We all make minor errors such as, "a apple" instead of "an apple" and "all kind of things" instead of "all kinds of things." Having said that, there are some glaring grammar errors that you should make sure you never make. These are errors that will make many people cringe when they hear and may create a negative impression.

In this article, we will focus on what we call "subject-verb agreement." In English, the rule is that the subject of the sentence (what the sentence is about) always has to agree with the verb (the action of the sentence). In simple terms, this means that there is a specific form of a verb for every subject, the subjects being I, you, he, she, it, we, they. When the subject and the verb do not agree, this is a very noticeable grammar error and should be avoided at all costs.

The most common error is made with what we call the third person singular form of a verb in the present tense. The third person singular form refers to "he", "she" and "it." Many of the errors occur with the verb "to do" (do, does, did). The verb that goes with this form always has to have an "s" at the end, so for the verb "to do", the correct form would be "does."

Let's look at an example: 
This sentence is correct: "She doesn't know them." The pronoun "she" is the subject and the helping verb "doesn't" (does not) is the correct form that goes or agrees with it. The form "does" agrees with "she" because it has an "s" at the end of it, as third person singular forms must have.

Many people, however, do not use the correct form of the verb when using the third person singular present tense.. 
This sentence is not correct: "She don't (do not) know them." The pronoun "she" is the subject, but this time the helping verb "do" is used, which does not have an "s" at the end of it. The form "do" is used with all subjects, including "I", "you", "we" and "they." The only one it is never used with is the third person singular form, including "he", "she" and 'it."

In summary, there are minor grammar errors that most of us notice but overlook. Because so many people make them, they are becoming more acceptable in informal everyday conversational speech. Then, there are some major grammar errors that are very noticeable and may stereotype us as to our educational or socio-economic level. Forming the third person singular present tense verb incorrectly certainly gives our listener a negative impression and may even be a deciding factor in obtaining a job in which public speaking is important.
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    Cheryl Posey is a licensed and nationally certified speech/language pathologist.   She specializes in accent reduction and communication skills training and provides useful tips and suggestions to help you improve your spoken English and reduce your accent with articles from Speaking Your Best's blog.  Subscribe today so that you don't miss any articles!

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