lynnedavis

Handful of Homonyms

2009-11-28T09:35:00.000-08:00

overdo/overdue
tie/Thai
bizarre/bazaar

Hopefully, Helen

2009-11-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

When I was in my twenties, I worked for a couple of years as a copy editor at Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company in Boston. One of my co-workers was Helen Phillips. She was quite a bit older and has probably passed away by now. Then again, I shouldn't jump to that conclusion. Helen was such a staunch New Englander--ramrod-straight posture, strong convictions, healthy living habits--that she could very well still be around. I hope so!

Helen was the copy editor for the Roger Tory Peterson field guides to the birds, a very prestigious series, and she also worked on the Jane Goodall books. She was good at what she did. One thing I have never forgotten is her stand on the adverb "hopefully." She was adamantly opposed to its usage as a sentence modifier, as in, "Hopefully, I will win the lottery." "No, no, no!" she would tell us. The only correct usage of that adverb is in direct relationship to a verb, adjective or adverb, as in this example: "I went hopefully to the counter and bought a lottery ticket."

And Helen's argument is backed up by my American Heritage Dictionary, which says that only 44 percent of its usage panel calls the usage of the adverb in the first sentence acceptable.

Of course, my dictionary is about 40 years old, so the current panel may have different ideas. Also, I learned from the linguistics courses I took after I left Boston, grammar is descriptive, not prescriptive; it describes what people say, not what they should say.

But still, it's been very hard for me to break out from under Helen's wing. For the past several decades, I have religiously stopped myself every time I was about to start a sentence with "hopefully," remembering Helen's strong words and her imposing appearance. I have made myself recast my sentences time after time, out of respect for her.

Lately though, something has happened, and I've become rebellious. I have, on occasion, allowed myself to use "hopefully" as a sentence adverb. Call me lazy; it just seems that sometimes there is no other way.

Hopefully, Helen, you will forgive me.

Exquisite

2009-11-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

Do you know how to pronounce this word? Most people don't. They put the accent on the second syllable, the quis. That's wrong. The word is pronounced exquisite, with the accent on the first syllable, the ex.

I know this because one day, when I was a freshman at the Convent of the Sacred Heart high school for girls, now Woodlands Academy, in Lake Forest, Illinois, my English teacher, Mother Barsch (our nuns were called Mother, not Sister) went down the rows of the classroom and had everyone pronounce this word correctly.

It was a pet peeve of hers, I guess. And she did the same thing with the word "didn't," because some people pronounced it "dint," and that just about pushed her over the edge.

Stuff

2009-10-31T09:02:00.000-07:00

You have heard that Americans are very informal, and this is true. And you have learned some American idioms and slang, which you are proud to use. That's great, in some situations--with friends, online, etc.

But one thing you may not realize is that even American English has its levels of usage. And when you are writing an essay, your language should be more formal than when you are writing an email or, definitely, when you are texting.

I am writing this because recently I have had the opportunity to read a number of papers written by international students. In several of these, the word "stuff" was used. Let me be clear: It sticks out like a sore thumb. Think of a more specific word than "stuff" for the items you are referring to. "Stuff" is definitely not appropriate in formal English. It's a red flag, signalling a writer who doesn't know the rules.

Even "things," although not a sophisticated word, is better than "stuff." "Stuff" is a very commonly used word, but it does nothing to enhance your reputation as an accomplished writer of English.

Tongue Twitters

2009-08-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

A friend came across the word "bristle," as a verb: to bristle, to become angry, afraid, or indignant. He had never heard of that usage, and thought it was funny. It comes from the noun bristle, meaning a short, stiff hair or hairlike object. When people or animals become afraid, the hair on their necks sometimes becomes stiff, like a bristle. (The hog bristled with fear. He bristled up in anger.) I like the word. And it made me wonder about the word brush, since a brush has bristles. Brush can also be a noun or verb, and it has various meanings. It's something to use to clean hair or teeth, shoes or floors. And it's the action of cleaning with those. There are also some idioms: "brush up on" means to review; I need to brush up on my French before I go to Quebec. "Brush aside" or "brush off" means to dismiss abruptly: He brushed off their criticisms and continued on. You can "brush against" something, touching it lightly as you pass. Any more?

Another word of interest to me is "drunk." It's the past participle of drink. But of course, it's also an adjective meaning "intoxicated," and a noun, meaning a person who is habitually and disgracefully in that state. In recent years, I've noticed people using "drank" as the past participle: I've drank a lot of beer in my life. I'd drank a few glasses of wine when I got in the car. I think people have started avoided using the correct past participle because of the possibility of making themselves or their friends sound like derelicts. If they say, for example, "He's fine, officer; he's only drunk one beer," it's just too possible that the policeman will only hear the first few words. It's too close for comfort. Any opinions on this?

triple homonym

2009-08-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

idol, idle, idyll

No TOEFL Now

2009-01-29T08:58:00.000-08:00

I should have posted this a while ago, but I didn't think of it until I received an email asking for TOEFL tutoring. I had to say no; I'm not doing TOEFL tutoring now.

Homonyns

2008-07-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

peer/pier
pie/pi
cobble/Kabul
champagne/Champaign
site/cite/sight
night/knight
feet/feat

Am I repeating myself?

Buon giorno!

2008-04-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

I'm taking an Italian class now, and it's a lot of fun. The language is beautiful, very musical. Also, it's similar to both French and Spanish, two languages I am familiar with, and a lot of the vocabulary and grammar are similar to one or both of those languages, so that makes it kind of easy.

On the other hand, the similarities also make it confusing, sometimes; sometimes I'm using Spanish instead of Italian words, or expecting the grammar to be the same as French--and it's not!

Still, it's an interesting contrast to when I was first studying Korean, a language so totally different from English. I really had to study the vocabulary, because there was no similarity whatsoever to the English words. The grammar, too, is very different; most sentences are in S-O-V order, with adverbs and prepositional phrases popping up where you least expect them. Not only that, but where we use an adjective in English, Korean sometimes uses a verb. And then the pronunciation is sometimes tricky too!

I remember that there were Japanese students in my first Korean class who seemed to be so much smarter than I was, picking up on things so fast, and remembering them so easily. I felt stupid until I realized that their language was similar to Korean in a lot of ways, just as French and Spanish and Italian are quite similar to English. So it was easier for them.

If you are a CESL student, you can probably relate to what I'm saying! But don't give up. I'm not going to. I still want to improve my Korean, and I hope someday to be able to go back to Korea and try speaking Korean in real life!

Languages can be frustrating--but they're fun, too!

New! E-Z English

2007-11-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

Presenting, E-Z English, with easy writing lessons for internationals. It works like this. Each month I have a topic. You write a short essay on that topic and send it to me at my email address. I give you feedback on your writing, including grammar correction.

This is an interesting and easy way to improve your writing and vocabulary in English.

I will read and respond to your writing after you have sent me the $10 on Pay Pal.

If you are interested in trying this, send me an email at lynnedavis2@verizon.net, and I will tell you this month's topic.

Why bother about homonyms?

2007-07-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

Speaking of homonyms (which I was last October), why should we care about them? So what if there are three ways to spell two of the words in this sentence, with three different meanings each, and two ways to spell another? (Do you know which words they are?)

Well, one reason is, the spell check on your computer will not fix this kind of misspelling for you. If you write, for example, "I am having a wonderful time studying hear in Carbondale," your choice of hear instead of here will stay. And if you have written that sentence for an essay, your teacher will grade you lower. Even if he says he doesn't take off points for spelling, that error will make you look stupid to him, and he will--unconsciously perhaps--read your essay with a little less confidence in what you have to say.

Another reason to know common homonyms is that they are often used as distractors (incorrect answers that sound pretty good) on the Listening Section of the TOEFL.

In one edition of the book, Cracking the TOEFL, published by Princeton Review, the authors talk about one of the TOEFL's favorite trap answers, Sound-Alikes. In the Listening section, wrong answers often contain words that sound similar to the correct statement. They might be homonyms, or they might be rhyming words, as in an example where Mary says Sunday is her "day off." One answer says Mary has a "bad cough." Another says that Mary "often" works on Sunday, the exact opposite of her statement, but it sounds similar. Another says that "some days" Mary's work is "awful." These are distractors. They sound similar to the statement, but they are incorrect answers. The correct answer is, "Mary rarely works on Sunday," which is a paraphrase of Mary's statement.

So it's important to be aware of words and phrases that might sound similar, or exactly the same, but have different spellings and meanings. It will pay off for you.

_______________________________________________________________
In the first paragraph, the homonyms are: too, to, two; there, their, they're; and so, sew. But you knew that, didn't you?

TOEFL Tutoring

2007-06-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in TOEFL prep on an individual basis, contact me by email at ldavis@siu.edu.

Funny Word

2007-06-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

I wonder if any of you word lovers have noticed this curious phenomenon. The word oversight seems to have two meanings that are pretty much opposites. I had thought this was a new phenomenon, a Bushism, a sort of doublespeak. But I've just looked it up in my trusty American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1969 (and still great!), and found that indeed, these two usages are listed one after another as the legitimate definitions of the word--without any comment as to the weirdness of the situation. I quote:
oversight 1. an unintentional omission or mistake. 2. Watchful care or management; supervision. -- See Synonyms at error.
And when I look at error, I find this: "Oversight refers to an omission or a faulty act that results from one's lack of attention."
I hear this word a lot lately in the news, usually referring to the Americans' management of the situation in Iraq. It's interesting, because the speaker or writer is usually using the word in the sense of definition #2, yet #1 often comes to mind.

15 Minutes a Day

2006-11-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: If you will spend fifteen minutes a day studying TOEFL, you will improve your score. It doesn't matter so much what you use to study. You might have a TOEFL book or go online. Maybe you go to the LMC and use their Regent's TOEFL book and tapes (ask at the desk) or Randall's ESL Lab on the computers. Or you Google TOEFL and use what you find on the Internet. Or you just stay home and review TOEFL practices you've done in class.

It doesn't matter so much what you use; just study. The test will be here in a few weeks. You have extra time during Thanksgiving break, and when you come back to class after break, you need to make time.

Fifteen minutes a day isn't that much. You can find it in your schedule. It will make a difference!

Hello from St. Louis

2006-11-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of me at the St. Louis Botanical Garden last May. It was beautiful there. I really think that nature is always beautiful--but it is a little better when it's not cold or rainy, and most beautiful when flowers are blooming!

Teacher

2006-11-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

Last week, one of my favorite teachers died. His name was Al Montesi. I took an American Literature class from him at St. Louis University. He was a popular teacher who had a passion for his subject. (Sometimes he used to throw the chalk to make a point--or maybe he was angry at our stupid answers!)

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he was a character with a lovely Southern accent. Although he loved the Southern writers, what I remember studying in his class was an F. Scott Fitzgerald story, "Bernice Bobs Her Hair." Once I spent time with him in a bar with a group of students. He told me I was "perspicacious." After I looked it up in the dictionary, I loved that word. I never forgot it, and I never forgot him.

After parents, teachers are some of the most important people in our lives. Do you agree? I have several other teachers I could write about, who made a strong impression on me, who influenced my life. Do you?

Beat the TOEFL!

2006-11-07T04:36:00.001-08:00

My suggestion to students who want to improve their TOEFL scores is a simple one: Make a plan and stick to it! Get organized. Set goals. Decide how much time you can spend each day, or twice a week, or whatever it is, on the TOEFL. Then do it.

Choose your materials--a TOEFL book, a practice test from your class or from the CESL office--and then think about how to use them.

Analyze your mistakes. Focus on your weak points. Label things you don't understand, and ask the teacher about them. Try to see the patterns in your errors and work on correcting those. If, for example, you have several errors regarding subject-verb agreement, review thoroughly the sections in your grammar book that teach this.

Or you might decide that you need to focus on vocabulary. If you just learned one new word a day, that would be 56 words at the end of an eight-week term. If you learned the word in its various forms (noun, verb, adjective, adverb), you'd do yourself a favor grammatically; if you learned each word in the context of a sentence from a book, you'd be even farther ahead of the game.

You could spend 15 minutes a day doing practice exercises in a book. Or you could spend that time reviewing what you did in TOEFL class.

Or read a newspaper every day, watch a TV show or a movie, read children's books.

But do something! Don't just worry about how you should be studying. Do something!

And organization helps. Know the sections of the test like the back of your hand, and be prepared with strategies for each one. Take timed practices. Plan to finish every section in time. (If you happen to run out of time at the end, fill in circles quickly; just go down one row; any answer is better than no answer.)

Keep studying, no matter what. If something happens and you get off schedule, get back on track.

You can do it!

What is your plan for TOEFL study this term? Add a Comment below and tell me.

Call for Homonyms

2006-10-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

I like homonyms--words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Some examples:

here/hear
one/won
by/buy
son/sun
hair/hare
to/two/too
wood/would
four/for/fore (for all you golfers)
be/bee
effect/affect

We have a lot of them in English, and I write them down whenever I hear them. Here are some interesting ones I have collected recently:

pie/pi
feet/feat
great/grate
night/knight
all/awl
no/know
new/knew

Now to the advanced section:

mustard/mustered
wholly/holy/holey
foray/4A/Faure (accent aigu)
Riley/wryly/Reilly
Gemini/Jim and I (in certain dialects)
flour/flower (ditto)
toad/towed/toed
load/lode/lowed
wrapped/rapt
moose/mousse
wave/waive
sight/site/cite
so/sew/sow
lieu/loo (British)/Lou
air/ere/Eyre

Please feel free to send in your own homonyms, or to dispute the ones I have listed here.

Speaking of Rhyme

2006-10-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

The 064 Novel/Film class wrote name poems. I just asked them to write something short with their name and a rhyme for it. I tweaked occasionally.

Here they are:

My name is N.B.
I’m gonna make a CD
You can watch me on TV.

Tomorrow Tomohiro
Will have two Mellow Yellows.
And then he’ll say good morrow.

I am Jay,
I am kind.
Like a gentle wind
In your mind.

Seo Young
Sing a song,
So fun, sing along.

My name is Hyun Sung;
Just call me Handsome.
Namu means tree—
But she’s a flower to me.

We meet Jun at noon
on the moon
with a spoon.
What’s he doin’?

Sohail
Is in jail
But he will not go to hell.

Hui has a key.
Follow me,
says he,
to Lee in the sea.

Raid sighed.
Raid cried.
Raid died.
And I lied.

Moo likes blue
And loves what is true.

Hey, Sun,
I love to see you shine.
Where’s Hae Lim?
She’s at the gym.

Alan Alan Alan
Sounds like island.
Maybe like heaven.
People like Alan.

Jay, hey,
How ya’ doin’, Jay?
Do you want to play
Every day?

I want Maxime
On my team.
That’s my dream.

Raeed don’t need weed.
He needs a bird that can breed.

Abdull is cool
Swimming in the pool
Abdull Abdull

Hammer
Handsome
Ha Ha Ha
Hanna

Ji Hoo
How are you?

And please come in,
Mi Jin.

Hassan’s like the sun—
Nice in his talk,
And gentle in his walk.

Don’t rent that apartment, Khalid;
It’s squalid.

For the Students Who Were Absent

Sorry, Saori, and also Pei Pei
I missed you today.

Omar,
why did you go
so far?

Where are you,
Ayu?

No Time Like the Present

2006-09-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

Although I am not currently teaching at CESL, I am going to write now, because I have time to write the things I wanted to say during the summer, when I was teaching.

This is about two ESL issues,rhyming and the verb "became."

I found that many of my students were unable to rhyme in English, or at least did not immediately see the necessity for it. I will give examples.

Unexpected Results

Norther Winslow’s Poem
In the novel (and film) Big Fish, the character Norther Winslow has three lines for a poem about his beloved town Spectre and can’t seem to finish it:

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
_____

My assignment was to finish it. These are the results:

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
I wanna stay here forever.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
And Spectre loves me.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
Who are dancing here.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
And Spectre is the Heaven.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
And I will never leave.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
Let’s go to dance.
Live your life.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
Love is forever.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
Back to Spectre.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
So I want to fall in love with someone.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
But I should leave.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
So I stay here.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
And I love my wife.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
Spectre has everything.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
And I will never leave.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
Everything is Spectre.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
And the quiet of its river.

(Those last two are actually quite nice, with a poetry of their own, I think.)

Then, we have some people who got it:

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
And all people love it too.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
You should too.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
I love my life too.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
Because it’s red and blue.
(Okay, that’s not true, but hey, it’s poetry. And it does rhyme!)

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
I like you.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
Wonder do you.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
And everyone should do.

But I have to admit, these have a certain je ne sais quoi:

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
I got to go now.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
So far so good.

Roses are red
And violets are blue.
I love Spectre,
I like women!

*****

I found that many of my students misused the verb "became." I realized that what they should have said was either "began," or "came to," as in "the character came to understand. . . ."

Examples:
1) Will becomes loving (comes to love; begins to love) stories of his father's life and helps his father to continue the end of his story.
2) William became understood (came to understand; began to understand) (or became understanding of)his father's mind when his father was going to die.
3) He became (came; began) to respect and understand (or, became respectful and understanding of)his father.
4) Finally, son is becoming understand (understanding of) (or beginning to understand)his father gradually.

That's all for now.

She knows!

2006-05-09T04:55:00.000-07:00

One of my students emailed me this piece of writing, which was not an assignment; she was just compelled to write it:

The great inspiration from the end of the film Miracle Worker is still vibrating through depth in my heart. And I can tell other student in the classmates felt the same way as I did. When the book closes in my bed late night, when the film ends in the class room with tears, I could not stop thinking about the consequences. I was like a reader who wonders if there is another page or scene. “And then? So? What happened after that?” This article shows me small hole where I can look into her life little closer. At the first of the article there was a story about “water scene” where Hellen finally got to know what water is. I bet this is the biggest part of the book and film. As she explained, she could feel something wonderful and cool flowing over her hands. I think water is most definite material people can easily feel because of its temperature, liquid sense of touch. I think it is lucky that the thing that helps her was water. From the start to end of the article, I just can’t believe Hellen wrote them. While I was reading through it, I felt little bit nervous and exciting and also peace of mind. (peace of mind from that she is doing fine more than any other people although she is deaf and blind,.) I do respect her. As she felt like wards make the world blossom, it is exactly same to me. For me, I had really hard time to speak in English when I was in the US for the first time. I totally understand her mind. As my numbers of vocabulary are increasing I feel more confident and sometimes I can’t believe myself speaking in English. That makes me feel like speaking more and more. And also, I had great teacher and I think I was lucky and I am so thankful. (Thank you, Ms. Davis!! I like your way of teaching voca, and way of bringing feelings in the story we’ve never existed.) Also, other parts of story I really impressed are when she learns from natures. As Hellen said in the article, she was learning from nature and she finally got to know how much world is delightful!! Yes, I can’t forget the scene Hellen makes big big smiles on her face when she feels little small E.G.G, and tiny tiny life came out from. When she plumed into brook, she was even cute!! I think Nature is like her second hometown because above reason, also, it is important place where she found friends like birds and flower, and feel happy. She was getting knows that there are great things in the world.
There is one thing I couldn’t found out answer so far in my life, but Helen knows that in the article what love is. I was just so touched about Annie Sullivan’s definition of “love’.
So beautiful. And I thought I would love someone or something like Clouds, who provide shade when sunshine is so strong, and sweetness with rains. ☺
Finally, I strongly felt, I am so thankful to my parents and many teachers. I am healthy, I have ears to hear, I can distinguished tone, I can copy whatever I heard. I learn fast. Whenever I fail, they give me cheers rather than blame which helps me to start again. Sometimes I am so ashamed about myself, and grumbling about myself, now I totally changed. I will have more confidence and enthusiasm, I will never stop working hard. I am not afraid about my shallow knowledge as long as I have lots of good parents and teachers.

Final Notes on The Miracle Worker

2006-05-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

Last week we finished The Miracle Worker. I think the students enjoyed it. They certainly impressed me with their understanding and analysis of the play, its characters, its themes.

We watched the end of the movie, and they were transfixed. I've seen it before, but I couldn't help crying; the scene where Helen realizes that w-a-t-e-r means something is so moving.

And I don't think I was the only one who cried.

We had such poor sound quality with this movie, though. I think it was the VCR, not the DVD, but I'm not really sure. Anyway, because of that I didn't do any listening exercises with the film; it wouldn't have been fair. The film was really a support for the reading we did, and, I suppose, a kind of reward for doing it. After we read aloud in class, and had some discussion, the students could see it realized fully on film. It was good.

I also leaned heavily on vocabulary this term--in part because I found a great vocabulary list online, words from The Miracle Worker that were found in recent SAT tests. I thought that was a good sign, that possibly these words would also show up on the TOEFL, and that they were probably commonly used in English texts of various types. I think it's true, because I have noticed many of these vocabulary words, in books, newspapers and magazines, since we've been focusing on them in class.

Another thing I chose to do with the vocabulary was to get the students to learn the various parts of speech through the different forms and usages of these words. I think that at least some of them got something out of that effort and will be better readers, writers, and--drum roll, please--TOEFL takers next week. I sure hope so, anyway.

One student told me he thought the vocabulary was a waste of time, that it wouldn't do him a bit of good with his major.

"Oh, come on," I said. "Don't be shy. Tell me what you really think." No, I'm kidding. That hurt. I think he's wrong, though. I think this vocabulary will serve him well.

I loved the class. I tried to make the vocabulary fun by having groups make up stories using the words, then telling their stories while other students filled in the blanks with those words.

Discussion was okay, but the same small group of students always spoke. If I had had more time, I would have had a circle discussion in which I posed a couple of questions and had every student say one small thing. This always works for me. The quiet ones have plenty of ideas, just aren't brave enough to speak unless it's demanded.

I did have some small-group discussions, which worked better. When it's more intimate, and there's background noise, more people will risk talking.

Another fun thing was storyboards. For each act, I had each student make pictures of important scenes. We did this after the reading and before the film viewing. I just love those pictures, and I'm still trying to think of a way to use them. This idea was not an original; I found it on a website, public television or something.

One thing I kept doing in class, which I would like to apologize for, is that I would say Helen when I meant Annie, and vice-versa. I'm sure that drove people crazy.

The final test will be the same form as the first two, except that the vocabulary will include all that we studied, about 60 words. So, Part 1 is parts of speech, Part 2 fill-ins, Part 3 match the quote with the character, Part 4 Essay question. Oh, I gave the option to take Part 4 orally, and one person will do that.

Another term ends, another group of students will be missed on Monday morning. Again, this group impressed me; they were so smart, articulate, and thoughtful. I'm glad to know that they will be the leaders of the future. I trust them to do a good job.

And I also wish them all astronomically high TOEFL scores, enshallah (sorry about the spelling)!

Small Miracles

2006-04-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to accommodate learners and learning styles in my class. One thing I'm doing is making each test the same format, so that students know what to expect. And on the final test, I've offered to let students take the essay portion orally, in a conversation with me, if they would prefer this. I don't know yet how many takers I'll have.

I am also trying to give more chances for grades on homework and on oral, in-class participation, through discussion, questions, and reading. I'm doing these things because some students are so much better at speaking than at writing. When they talk, they suprise me with how much they know and how well they express themselves.

As far as letting students talk, I still find it is the most difficult thing to do. I ask a question about The Miracle Worker, and students volunteer answers. My tendency then always seems to be to jump in and agree with them, or amplify what they've said. I go on and on like a know-it-all, and oops, they're not talking anymore. I think the hardest thing for a teacher is to keep quiet and let the students talk, to guide the conversation, but let the bulk of it be theirs, to ask clarifying questions and perhaps more importantly, allow long silences. I'm talking to myself here!

As for the oral reading, I do it because we are reading a play, and I think it's good for the students to have their parts and begin somewhat to identify with the characters they are "playing." I don't make them act--but sometimes I insist that their voices reflect the emotions specified in the stage directions. Also, I can correct pronunciation and answer questions on vocabulary and idioms as we go along. Another thing is that when, the following week, they get to watch the same scenes in the movie, they will remember the lines to some extent and be able to listen better. They will also compare the way they read them to the way they are spoken on the screen. To me there's a parallel with their speaking, then hearing these English words, with Helen Keller's coming to the realization, in the play, that these words mean something: "Water. It has a name." They see the words come to life. It's a small miracle. And that's a very good thing.

It's not at all similar to the tortuous reading classes of my elementary school years, when we had to listen to our classmates struggle through paragraphs and sentences while we counted down to the paragraph we would get, and got ready.

At least I think it's not like that--and I hope the students agree. They have done so well with their reading. I do think at least some of them have gotten a kick out of being the characters. I thank them for their willingness and their good work.

I'm not the Miracle Worker

2006-04-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hmm, I seem to have two classes in one--students in my class who are very good on paper but quiet in class, and students who speak very well but don't do well on paper. It's a cultural thing, and I've dealt with it before. Also, I know I'm not the only teacher with this dichotomy, but I'm looking for some creative ways to deal with it.

One thing everybody seems to like, that we have done for a couple of days, is reading the play aloud, with individual students playing particular characters. I stop them at the end of each page and ask for questions. I use that time to make any comments or ask them questions. It's good. I think we need a break from it now, though.

Yesterday I asked oral questions and gave written credit for each student who answered. I will continue to offer more oral work, so that people who are strong in speaking and listening have a chance to get some points that way. And really, the ones who excel on tests and other written work can use the oral practice.

At the same time, everybody has to get a grasp of the grammar, writing and spelling of English--unless there is a revolution in our educational system, unless we decide to do away with the TOEFL.

Doing away with the TOEFL, there's a concept!

No, for now I have to help them improve in their weak areas. I think I'll give more in-class exercises, let them work together, step by step.

It sounds so obvious. It is! I can't work miracles--but maybe I can help my students fill in some gaps and get to the next level, God willing.

Hel-lo-o, Get Real, Wake Up and Smell the Coffee!

2006-04-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes as I write this, I know I sound like a new teacher--naive, taking things personally that I should have gotten over years ago, going blindly from day to day, making it up as I go along.

Well, I do make it up each time; I'm not one of those teachers who has a set syllabus with the same lectures term after term, the same tests, the same everything. I adjust my class according to my students and how things go with us; I expect that most ESL teachers do the same.

But I am naive; it's true. Take this test I wrote about last time. I was so proud of it, and I expected my students to love it too, to savor it like fine wine. What am I, nuts? It's a test, for heaven's sake. They just want it to be easy and to get it over with.

And to be fair. Today I asked them if they thought it was fair, because they took it yesterday, and in a lot of cases, their performances were disappointing. "Didn't you study?" I was thinking. "Didn't I tell you this was important?" "Don't you see the clues?" On the other hand, in the essay portion of the test most of them redeemed themselves, writing opinions about the play and the characters that I thought showed they had been reading it and also thinking about it.

Today, when I asked if they had anything to say about the test, one person said that they had thought it was a quiz; was it really a midterm?

Good question. I said it was a test on Act I, and since it was the midpoint of the term, I'd thought it could be a midterm. But that wasn't fair, I realized. So we wouldn't have a midterm; I would change the course description and grading. We will have a test at the end of each act, so this was one of three.

Okay, they said. And I also said I would try to give more credit for the essay section than for the individual items--fill-ins, matching, parts of speech. I want them to learn those, but I'll have to teach it better, differently, more.

Then we had a good class. Simple. Reading, and stopping at each page to ask for questions, or to comment, or ask them questions. It worked. There was good participation. Also, one brave girl acted out Helen as we narrated about her actions. Bravo!!

It's Been a While!

2006-04-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

It's a new term, and I'm teaching a totally different class. Traditionally, we call it Novel/Film, but this term it's really Drama/Film. What we are reading is a play, The Miracle Worker, by William Gibson. Then we watch the movie version, not the newer Disney creation, but the classic, black-and-white Academy Award winner, with Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke.

I love it, so it's a good thing for me to teach. It was my idea to use this story, and I hope the students like it. They seem to. They are enthralled, as students always are, when I turn on the TV and play the movie--so that's good; I love to see that. They also keep up well with the reading so far and know what's going on in the story. I was so surprised at first at this! Wow, they did their homework! Wow, they understand it! Then I remembered that the levels I'm teaching this term are higher than last! My students this term are drawn, actually, from three levels: EAP1, AC, and GSE. So they are advanced, one foot in the university, almost.

Another difference this term is that my class is huge compared to last term; I have eighteen students. So I can't be as personal in my teaching as I could last term. But I enjoy it.

I missed the second week of class because I had to be out of town. I feel like the class is just beginning, but actually, next week is midterm, and I'm giving an exam. It's on Act I of The Miracle Worker, focusing heavily on vocabulary, with character IDs and a short essay that will allow them to express themselves a bit, let me know what they know and what they think.

I like to make tests, and I think this one is pretty good. I think everyone should be able to pass it if they study, and I think only the best students will get As.

After the test, we'll start Act II. I'm making this up as I go along, since this text and movie haven't been used before. I hope to continue to teach vocabulary but begin to put more stress on in-class reading (they all have parts now) and discussion. I want them to talk!

Good Bye and Good Luck!

2006-03-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

I have said goodbye to my students for this term. They were a wonderful class--positive, diligent, and fun. I wish them all good luck. I will miss them.

For the final exam in this listening/speaking class, we had a listening portion and a speaking portion. The latter was composed, like the midterm, of individual interviews.

And as usual, when it's over you realize how you should have done it! If I teach this class again, and the group is small enough, I will have these individual interviews once a week, as an ongoing part of the class. It's so good to talk to the students individually! They really get a chance to talk uninterrupted, at their own pace. I get to focus on their skills and their needs. I can pinpoint very specific problems in pronunciation especially. It is very useful to be able to tell a student exactly what to work on.

Not only that, but from a selfish point of view, I learn so much from these conversations about their countries and cultures.

Teaching at CESL is fascinating, like traveling all over the world without having to pack a bag or worry about missing your plane.

That's why we love it.

"Can you eat rice with these?"

2006-02-23T08:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday someone from Saudi Arabia asked someone from Korea if he used chopsticks to eat. So today, for a conversation activity, I had the Asians teach the Saudis to use chopsticks.

I brought some old pairs from home; I have a lot. I wondered what I could use for them to pick up. I had to settle for cotton balls. "Can we eat these?" they joked.

It was a fun activity with chances for Lee and Steven to talk and teach.

Some students chose to keep the chopsticks, to practice.

A couple of them asked, "Can you eat rice with these?" They were used to a drier rice, not the sticky kind Asians eat--and they were picturing picking up pieces of it one by one. At that rate, we agreed, one meal would take all day!

Rules for Living

2006-02-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

One of my basic rules for living is: Don't set your expectations too high; that way, you won't be disappointed.

Now I have a corollary to that, for ESL teachers: Never plan an activity that depends on a particular student for its success.

Why? you ask. Last Thursday I told my class to prepare short skits about going to the doctor. They worked in two groups, writing them, choosing roles, and practicing.

Ali was great in his role, very spontaneous, dramatic, and funny. I couldn't wait for the "performance" on Friday. Well, on Friday he was absent! So we still did the activity, but it lacked a certain luster.

Oh well.

Roses Are Red and Violets Are Actually Purple

2006-02-15T19:19:00.000-08:00

The midterm went well. Everyone did fine, and each student received a personal report on what they can improve. That seems to make them try harder in conversation. It's very nice.

I have not implemented my new idea of having them memorize poems. Why? Because one student told me our conversations in class are "good, but little." In other words, not enough! The exact trap I was trying to avoid. Once again, I've fallen in. Once again, I start over. I give them a topic and some simple questions. They take turns talking.

I did it today. It was okay. I'll keep doing it.

One irony. The student who asked for it was absent. C'est la vie, eh?

They did read one poem today, too, several of them, out loud. Our topic is health, so:

Early to bed and early to rise
makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

You know, it was a good, short pronunciation exercise.

I wanted to change "a man" to "people" and make it non-sexist, but they might have looked at me uncomprehendingly, and I just wasn't in the mood for it today.

Oh, by the way, we have a new student! He's from Saudi and very jolly. His fictional name will be Ali.

Midterm

2006-02-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is our midterm exam. I will have a conversation with each student, on a topic they have chosen from a group of six I offered. They will give me a list of vocabulary, ten words they will probably use in their talk, with part of speech and definition. I think they will all be fine!

Then next week we start the second half of the term. Sometimes things get sluggish at this juncture. I think I'll rev it up a notch. I'm not sure how, yet. One thing I might do is give them poems (short, simple ones) to memorize--for pronunciation. Since next week is Valentine's Day, maybe I'll start with a simple one:

Roses are red,
and violets are blue.
Sugar is sweet,
and so are you.

Later we'll get to The Wasteland.

What do you think? Good idea?

Science 2

2006-02-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

February 3, 2006

Another hypothesis disproved. Today is Friday (TGIF), and we had a good activity—yet today’s class was okay, just okay.

One student was absent. We had time for three people to tell their itineraries. One person followed the directions, telling his itinerary from morning to evening, with times, places, and prices. He also had photographs on his Play Station of the places he visited. He did a great job, and he gets a check plus. Another student talked in general about the place, its attractions, and its history. This was interesting, but he didn’t make an itinerary. Check. The third was very spur-of-the-moment, unplanned and vague. Sadly, the grade will have to be check minus.

So, the class was not unpleasant, but the overall quality of the presentations was a little disappointing. One thing I was happy about, though, was that students asked questions, good questions. Said was particularly good; his questions cut to the chase: “Okay, it’s nine a.m., and I’m hungry. Where do we go?”

We will finish up this activity on Monday (in spite of my vow never again to do conversation on that day).

Hump Day

2006-02-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

February 3, 2006

Yesterday was Wednesday, called “Hump Day” by people who work Monday to Friday. It’s the middle of the week. Once we get through Wednesday, or over the hump, it’s almost the weekend. Thus, we feel good on Wednesday.

I think it’s the same with my class. Wednesday was a good day. People were relaxed and outgoing.

The activity was to write an itinerary for a day in Carbondale, assuming you had a friend visiting. You had to plan the day, spending less than $25 per person.

“There’s nothing to do in Carbondale,” someone said, summing up the thoughts of many. But I said they had to use their imaginations. I helped them brainstorm by putting on the board categories of tourist places—restaurants, parks, museums, shopping—and naming some of those places around here. I also gave them the entertainment sections of some newspapers.

The task was accomplished in two small groups, with much talking and laughing. And that’s the whole point, so I was already satisfied with them. Toward the end of the class period, each group presented its plan, and again there was laughter. One group amused us because they kept taking two-hour breaks throughout the day. Maurice went to church on the morning of his tour, with the bonus of a free breakfast afterward. Ahmed’s group went to the Golden Corral for lunch. He commented on how fat the customers there were.

“But you’re going there because you want to eat a lot?”

“Yeah!”

“Be careful!"

Anyway, it was good. Students were using the direction words we’ve been studying in a natural way: go straight, about two blocks, across the street, etc.

I got the idea for that activity from Dave’s ESL Café on Monday evening when I was in despair over my class that day, searching for lively ideas.

I refined it after seeing Rachel Ray’s Forty Dollars a Day show on TV.

Et voila! They got into it.

Was it because it was a good plan, or because it was Hump Day?

Maybe a little of both.

Friday, they’re going to do itineraries of their own cities, for $50. (The price keeps going up!)

It should be good. It’s got everything going for it—TGIF, plus the chance to brag about their cities, plus they know what they’re doing now.

But I don’t take anything for granted. We shall see.

Open Book

2006-01-27T15:41:00.000-08:00

I decided to share my notes from the first two weeks of class. It will be interesting to see if anyone reads this!

January 21, 2006
I always love my classes, and this term is the same. I love my small conversation class. The students are from Korea (2), Taiwan (1), Benin (1), Saudi Arabia (2), and Sudan (1).

It was worth it taking the time to go over vocabulary, to do an exercise based on it in class today. I needed to put the words that I was using on the board for them, though—after Sohail (God bless him) told me they didn’t understand. Then they could pick them out as I said the sentences about my childhood. Then I asked each of them to make a sentence including one of the words. It led to some good conversation.

Then we did the short ice-breaker activity: say your name, and “I like” something that begins with that letter; for example, “My name is Ms. Davis, and I like movies.” The next person repeats about me, and says his information, on and on until the last person has to repeat them all. It led to laughter.

I taught a little pronunciation, as it came up: plan, not flan; zoo, not jew; complex (n.) vs. complex (adj.).

I talked about Chapter 1 goals, said we’ll continue next week (per syllabus), said for homework read pages 4-7.

I reminded myself during class not to hurry through the lesson. Remember: put the focus on conversation, students talking--not your wonderful lesson plan. (Sounds simple, but it’s not easy!)

Jan. 23, 2006
All I can say is, no one’s perfect, and today is Monday. My class was bad: bad planning, bad timing, bad hair—equals bad!

Tomorrow will be better. I learn from my mistakes. I planned the class completely, maybe too much. But I planned it on Friday, and this morning when I came in, it looked like a foreign language to me!

I stumbled through the book lesson, used a tape. With five minutes left, I introduced the “cars” conversation topic. A good topic, but no time. We’ll continue it tomorrow.

As I said before, for conversation, the best way is to let the students talk!

Jan. 25, 2006
I can’t wait till Friday; we’re going to have a couple of fun activities. First, I’ll read a meeting/greeting dialog I wrote and have them identify aspects of each that show they’re formal or informal. Then they’ll write and perform theirs. After that, we’ll do my picture postcard listening-to-directions activity: In pairs, students either look at the postcard picture or draw. The one who has the picture can’t show it and can’t use gestures. She has to describe it in words so that the other person can make a drawing of it. We’ll see how similar the drawings are to the pictures.

Sometimes a student is bored, and he shows it. I don’t think he realizes how upsetting this can be to a teacher, who sees him yawning and looking at the clock, etc.

On the other hand, he may have a problem he is worried about, and that is why he is distracted.

January 27, 2006
Everything takes longer than I expect it to, so I’m going to shorten the dialog quiz, not have them write one. I told them Fridays would be for fun activities, so I want to make sure that we have enough time for the postcards. It should elicit a lot of speaking, too—I hope!

A quick way to find the meaning of a word or phrase or slang expression is to Google it. Just go to Google and put the words in the box, then click on Search or just hit Enter. You will usually get a list of places that give a definition. Go there. Even better, at the bottom of the page, if it says to try Google Book Search, do it! You will get sections of books and articles that use the expression in context. It works better, I think, if I put the phrase in quotation marks, like this: “chew the fat” or “same old same old.” It’s really useful and interesting—and easy!

haiku

2005-11-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

As everyone seems to be writing haiku these days, I will add some:

Children back in school,
Smell of late summer roses,
Withering gardens.

Outside the window
Branches bereft of leaves point
To what’s glorious.

I am an athlete
Taking every chance to kick
Acorns and gum balls.

Don't worry, neighbors
No Joneses to keep up with here--
Let the leaves blow!

In the gallery,
a Korean sonata--
familiar and new

The fall colors are
Extraordinary now.
In the morning, look!

English offices—
Persian rugs, old-fashioned lamps
Highly civilized

The second violinist’s
Hair is in her face
She’s mad with music

Hey, you silly moth—
I’ve got the screen door open.
Why don’t you escape?

Hi

2005-11-03T17:43:00.000-08:00

I'm just testing this to see if it works.