the difference between towards, toward and to.

To, toward, towards

Your Questions Answered by : FADZILAH AMIN

thestar.com.my

I CANNOT tell the difference between towards, toward and to.

Examples:

a) Thank you for your effort/contribution (towards, toward or to) the implementation of the project.

b) Thank you for your effort/contribution (towards, toward or to) the completion of the project.

c) Thank you for your effort/contribution (towards, toward or to) the launch of the project.

d) Thank you for your effort/contribution (towards, toward or to) the start/end of the project. – Paul Chan

If you want to write British English, use “towards” or “to”. “Toward” is used in American English, which also uses “towards”.

“Effort” and “contribution” can be used with “towards” in all your sentences.

“Contribution” can also be used with “to” in all your sentences.

However, “effort” cannot be followed by “to” in any of your sentences, where “to” is used as a preposition. If you use “effort” in a sentence beginning, like yours, with “Thank you for your effort to ...”, the “to” there is an infinitive marker and must be followed by an infinitive. I shall alter the ends of your sentences so that they contain infinitives, in order to use “effort” with them:

Thank you for your effort to implement the project.

Thank you for your effort to complete the project

Thank you for your effort to launch the project.

Thank you for your effort to start/end the project.

I find that the altered sentences have meanings that are slightly different from the originals, where “effort” or “contribution” is used with “towards”, or where “contribution” is used with “to”. The altered sentences suggest that the person addressed (“you”) has worked single-handedly to implement/complete/launch/start/end the project. The original sentences suggest a group effort, where “you” only contributed “your” share. So it’s best not to use “effort” with either kind of “to” in your sentences.

What's Wrong With The Menu?

Whoaaahh.. It has been quite awhile since my last entry! It took me a minute or two to recall the password for this blog! phewww... 

Anyway, let's see the photo I took during my last visit to a kopitiam nearby my place. 

so, can you please tell me what's wrong with the menu?

Are You Agree?

English Fast & Easy Here is your English tip for today.

Don't say: "Are you agree?" Say: "Do you agree?" Don't say: "I'm not agree." Say: "I don't agree." Now, here is my question to you. Exams are fun. Do you agree?

You can just say: "We agree." or "I agree." Don't say: "I'm agree

taken from:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/English-Fast-Easy/143350989041499

English Fast & Easy Facebook page.

Miss Pascal paid me a visit again, and this time she has this to inform all of you...


Hello again Miss Sensei

Hope you are well this October.

Just wanted to let you know that I have just created the English Fast & Easy facebook page.

Through the page, I will be sending out English tips once a week. The tips deal with common Malaysian English challenges.

You can become a fan by going to
http://www.facebook.com/pages/English-Fast-Easy/143350989041499

If you think your followers might enjoy receiving a weekly tip through facebook, would you mind posting ( NOT would you mind to post:)) the link for them.

English Fast & Easy 2 will be out in December! It is similar to the original but teaches useful vocabulary instead of phrases.

Finally, I would like to offer your school my 45-minute talk on English For a Global Environment free of charge! If interested, please contact me asap.

Best regards
Marianna

Never Ever

Never ignore someone ,who really cares for you....
because some day you may realize that you have lost a DIAMOND while you were busy in collecting stones

How To Do Your Assignments

College assignments may be different than the ones you completed in secondary school. Here are several tips that may help you succeed in your assignments.

1. Read the assignment thoroughly. Make sure that you understand what the lecturer is looking for as a deliverable.
2. Use standard English grammar and spelling. Though abbreviations and lack of capitalization or punctuation may be fine in text messages or Twitter, they are definitely not acceptable in other written assignments. Need help with grammar? Check out Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.
3. Use spell check. Don’t rely on it exclusively, but do use it.
4. If there’s a minimum or maximum word or page count, write enough, but not too much.
5. Consider writing a draft of your assignment for your instructor to review prior to the deadline. (Yikes — check the second definition included in the deadline link.)
6. Post or turn in your assignment by the deadline. Many instructors (including me) do not accept late work. (See some views on late work at the Chronicle of Higher Education’s website.)
7. Thoroughly review your course syllabus. Many instructors include a weekly schedule of discussions and assignments. Don’t be surprised if when you ask when an assignment is due, your instructor replies, “You’ll find that in the syllabus.” Check WebCT Vista for due dates if they are not specified on the syllabus.
8. When taking a quiz or test in WebCT Vista, make sure you are aware what the rules are for using materials to help you take the test, that you know how many tries you have, and how the final score is calculated. (In many of my classes, the quizzes are “open-everything,” at least two tries are allowed, and highest score counts. But that’s just me.)
9. If your instructor specifies or indicates a preference for fonts and margins, use these when writing your assignment.

Reading – A Great Way To Learn English

Finally an update! yeayy! 

I really believe in this... 

Learning the English language can be a difficult task. There many methods of learning English to help you overcome the various problems associated with grammar, spelling, pronunciation, and even English slang. One method is actively reading. The more that you read, the more you broaden your understanding of the language, and as a result, the faster you will learn to read and speak English.

Textbooks are a very helpful learning tool, but newspapers, magazines, and novels are great ways to give you a better understanding of the English language. You will learn the various English expressions, phrases, sentence structures, and words, which will help improve your vocabulary. Make sure that you keep a dictionary close by when you start reading because some words and phrases can be tricky.

Reading on your own is not just effective, but it is also extremely motivating. When you read on your own, you will be reading something that you have chosen. It will be interesting because it is what you chose, rather than something your teacher told you to read. As a result, you read much more willingly. Learning words naturally is both fun and educational. You will also learn how to use the correct words at the appropriate time. Generally, you should read at least a few pages per day. If you believe that you do not have time to read, take a book or magazine with you everywhere that you go. This will allow you to read in a variety of places such as when you are waiting in a long line at a bank or traveling on a bus.

Students who read a lot will actually learn to think in English. When students read every day, they will first learn slowly, but then they eventually start to learn faster and more easily. Reading helps the brain concentrate on English. Your brain will be repeating the words and phrases that it has seen many times. By reading a book in English, you have given your brain thousands of English sentences. Soon, you will begin speaking the language with confidence.

Reading is a great way to review and remember English words. By reading newspapers and magazines, students will remember what they learned long after they have completed an English learning class. As well, reading is an activity that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Reading maps is also a helpful tool. It will expand your knowledge of the geographic areas. If you are in business, you will most likely be required to write in English. Reading will help your writing because it will provide you with more expressions that you were not previously familiar with.

When reading English, phrases will eventually come easy to you when you are writing or speaking the language. Things like verb tense and how to use words such as “however” will become part of your understanding of the language. You will start to use them correctly without thinking. Correct phrases will just appear in your head. Also, when you read something that matters to you, you will remember it more. For example, if you read the lyrics of a new song by your favorite band, you are much more likely to repeat them and keep the words and phrases in your memory.

Reading and listening are both great ways to learn English, but reading is usually much easier than listening. With the aid of a good dictionary, you can understand English texts much more easily. The more you read, the easier it will become. It is not always easy, but it is worth the effort.

10 Amazing Lessons From Einstein

Albert Einstein has long been considered a genius by the masses. He was a theoretical physicist, philosopher, author, and is perhaps the most influential scientists to ever live.

Einstein has made great contributions to the scientific world, including the theory of relativity, the founding of relativistic cosmology, the prediction of the deflection of light by gravity, the quantum theory of atomic motion in solids, the zero-point energy concept, and the quantum theory of a monatomic gas which predicted Bose–Einstein condensation, to name a few of his scientific contributions.

Einstein received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics “for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.”

He’s published more than 300 scientific works and over 150 non-scientific works. Einstein is considered the father of modern physics and is probably the most successful scientist there ever was.

10 Amazing Lessons from Albert Einstein:

1. Follow Your Curiosity
   
   

   “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”

   
   What piques your curiosity? I am curious as to what causes one person to succeed while another person fails; this is why I’ve spent years studying success. What are you most curious about? The pursuit of your curiosity is the secret to your success.


2. Perseverance is Priceless
   
   

   “It's not that I'm so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer.”

   
   Through perseverance the turtle reached the ark. Are you willing to persevere until you get to your intended destination? They say the entire value of the postage stamp consist in its ability to stick to something until it gets there. Be like the postage stamp; finish the race that you’ve started!


3. Focus on the Present
   
   

   “Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.”

   
   My father always says you cannot ride two horses at the same time. I like to say, you can do anything, but not everything. Learn to be present where you are; give your all to whatever you’re currently doing.
   
   Focused energy is power, and it’s the difference between success and failure.


4. The Imagination is Powerful
   
   

   “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions. Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

   
   Are you using your imagination daily? Einstein said the imagination is more important than knowledge! Your imagination pre-plays your future. Einstein went on to say, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.” Are you exercising your “imagination muscles” daily, don’t let something as powerful as your imagination lie dormant.


5. Make Mistakes
   
   

   “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”

   
   Never be afraid of making a mistake. A mistake is not a failure. Mistakes can make you better, smarter and faster, if you utilize them properly. Discover the power of making mistakes. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, if you want to succeed, triple the amount of mistakes that you make.


6. Live in the Moment
   
   

   “I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.”

   
   The only way to properly address your future is to be as present as possible “in the present.”
   
   You cannot “presently” change yesterday or tomorrow, so it’s of supreme importance that you dedicate all of your efforts to “right now.” It’s the only time that matters, it’s the only time there is.


7. Create Value
   
   

   “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value."

   
   Don’t waste your time trying to be successful, spend your time creating value. If you’re valuable, then you will attract success.
   
   Discover the talents and gifts that you possess, learn how to offer those talents and gifts in a way that most benefits others.
   
   Labor to be valuable and success will chase you down.


8. Don’t Expect Different Results
   
   

   “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

   
   You can’t keep doing the same thing everyday and expect different results. In other words, you can’t keep doing the same workout routine and expect to look differently. In order for your life to change, you must change, to the degree that you change your actions and your thinking is to the degree that your life will change.


9. Knowledge Comes From Experience
   
   

   “Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.”

   
   Knowledge comes from experience. You can discuss a task, but discussion will only give you a philosophical understanding of it; you must experience the task first hand to “know it.” What’s the lesson? Get experience! Don’t spend your time hiding behind speculative information, go out there and do it, and you will have gained priceless knowledge.


10. Learn the Rules and Then Play Better
    
    

    “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”

    
    To put it all in simple terms, there are two things that you must do. The first thing you must do is to learn the rules of the game that you’re playing. It doesn’t sound exciting, but it’s vital. Secondly, you must commit to play the game better than anyone else. If you can do these two things, success will be yours!

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along!

Written on 3/09/2010 by Mr. Self Development who is a motivational author that offers a practical guide to success and wealth; support him by visiting his blog at mrselfdevelopment.com. .

A Visit To Turtle Santuary

Few weeks ago, my students and I went to Cherating Turtle Sanctuary. It was indeed a very informative and enjoyable trip.

Now I Know What It's Called...

Convex mirror

A convex mirror, fish eye mirror or diverging mirror, is a curved mirror in which the reflective surface bulges toward the light source. Convex mirrors reflect light outwards, therefore they are not used to focus light. Such mirrors always form a virtual image, since the focus (F) and the centre of curvature (2F) are both imaginary points "inside" the mirror, which cannot be reached. Therefore images formed by these mirrors cannot be taken on screen. (As they are inside the mirror)

A collimated (parallel) beam of light diverges (spreads out) after reflection from a convex mirror, since the normal to the surface differs with each spot on the mirror.

A collimated (parallel) beam of light diverges (spreads out) after reflection from a convex mirror, since the normal to the surface differs with each spot on the mirror.

[edit] Uses

Convex mirror lets motorists see around a corner.

The passenger-side mirror on a car is typically a convex mirror. In some countries, these are labeled with the safety warning "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear", to warn the driver of the convex mirror's distorting effects on distance perception.

Convex mirrors are used in some automated teller machines as a simple and handy security feature, allowing the users to see what is happening behind them. Similar devices are sold to be attached to ordinary computer monitors.

Some camera phones use convex mirrors to allow the user correctly aim the camera while taking a self-portrait.

I Like...

I found this at theenglishteacheronline.com

Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions

-author unknown

Happy 1st Ramadhan

Assalamualaikum and good day all..!!

It's 1st of Ramadhan and this blog of mine is getting a face lift!

How do you like the new design? Simple? Yes, and I like the color, don't you? :)

Student jailed for sitting exam for "customer"

An 18-year-old student was sentenced to six months in jail for sitting examinations for his "customer" in Hong Kong.

Zhao Chunlin, from Henan in China, pleaded guilty to three charges of conspiracy to defraud and using a forged identity pass.

He was paid RMB2,500 (RM1,182) to take three papers - microeconomics, macroeconomics and calculus - in the Advanced Placement Examinations for a Hong Kong student.

He went to the island on a travel permit on May 18.

On May 19, he successfully hid his real identity from the examiners and took two papers.

When he was about to sit for the third paper at the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessmen Authority the next day, an examiner noticed his ID was different from the others.

Upon checking, the examiner found the card was fake.

Zhao, who was enrolled at a university in United States, said a man - named Ricky - approached him in Shenzhen to sit for someone else's examination for RMB2,500 for each paper.

He took the offer with an intention to ease the financial burden of his parents, who worked 10 hours a day to raise his tuition fees.

Source: Apple Daily

http://www.dailychilli.com/news/5236-student-jailed-for-sitting-exam-for-qcustomerq

On Self-Assessment

Self-Assessment Does Not Necessarily Mean Self-Grading

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Most faculty judiciously avoid having students self-assess because it seems hopelessly naïve to imagine them being able to look at anything beyond the desired grade. Even so, the ability to self-assess skills and completed work is important. Moreover, it is an ability acquired with practice and developed with feedback. It seems like the kind of skill that should be addressed in college. And perhaps there is a way.

Professor Heidi Andrade and doctoral student Ying Du suggest that teachers frame self-assessment as an opportunity for students to reflect on their own work with the goal of learning more, making the work better, and thereby improving the chances for a good grade. In this paradigm, self-assessment is not the same as self-grading. Rather, students are looking at their work and judging the degree to which it reflects the goals of the assignment and the assessment criteria the teacher will be using to evaluate the work.

“Put simply, we see self-assessment as feedback for oneself from oneself.” (p. 160) Students in Andrade’s educational psychology course were given rubrics and checklists for each assignment. Prior to submitting the assignment, students used these assessment tools to judge their work. They were required to submit their self-assessments with the completed work, but their assessments were not graded.

Andrade and Du then conducted a series of interviews with students to explore their reactions to self-assessment conducted this way. They chose their sample purposefully “for its potential to illuminate areas in need of further study, not to represent a larger population.” (p. 163) This limits the generalizability of their findings, but their interviews offer insights into the experience of a population who responded thoughtfully to the experience.

Students in this sample reported that their attitudes toward self-assessment became more positive as their experiences with the process accumulated. Noteworthy was the fact that none of this sample reported having any previous experiences with academic self-assessment. Not surprisingly, they didn’t value their opinions about their work and saw self-assessment as a vehicle for figuring out the teacher’s expectations.

“The difference between self-assessment and giving the teacher what he or she wants was a recurring theme. A few students referred to self-assessment in terms of their own expectations. More often, however, students spoke of the tension between their own and the teacher’s expectations. … Over and over again, students rejected their own judgments of their work in favor of guessing how their teacher or professor would grade it.” (p. 168)

These students reported that their ability to self-assess depended on knowing what the teacher expected. In an appendix Andrade and Du share some of the rubrics and checklists used in this educational psychology course. They are very clear and explicit.

When they self-assessed, these students reported that they checked their work, revised it, and reflected on it more generally. Before this class their self-assessment efforts were “relatively mindless.” (p. 65) But from this experience they learned that careful self-assessment could improve their work to the degree that they did get better grades. Most did not see the larger value of the skill they were developing. Most did not use self-assessment in their other courses. They did see potential value in doing so. “They cited a lack of motivation and a lack of support for self-assessment among the reasons that ‘we slip.’” (p. 166)

by Maryellen Weimer.

Read more @ http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/educational-assessment/self-assessment-does-not-necessarily-mean-self-grading/

Abolish the UPSR and PMR examinations

The problem is not exams, it is with the education policies

Saturday, July 17th, 2010 - The Star

THE recent proposal to abolish the UPSR and PMR examinations had created a heated public debate among Malaysians, who in general are against such a move. I too join in the chorus calling for the idea to be dropped. It would be irresponsible and unwise to abolish these exams which have been in place for many decades and served their purpose reasonably well.

Our education system may have become very exam-oriented but the cause is not the exams themselves. Many major changes to the education system are made abruptly without due debate and consideration. The folly of such decisions are then realised a little too late when the damage has already been done.

Tendency for education to become exam-oriented is a universal problem and is not just peculiar to us. Even advanced nations have gone through such problems, some even worse. They have not done away with exams but found alternate ways to overcome it to some extent.

Doing away with exams may be the easy way out, but it will only lead to greater repercussions which we will regret later.

Whether we like it or not, exams are necessary as there are no better means available to assess the capability of the student.

If we abolish exams, what are we going to use to gauge a student’s knowledge and capability for selection to enter universities and get scholarships? How are we going to set a national standard for all students to measure up?

Instead of abolishing existing exams, we should device ways to make the exams more “intelligent”, whereby they can be used to assess the overall ability, aptitude and capability in critical thinking, reasoning and maturity of thought.

Examinations should be tailored to evaluate these aspects instead of the usual “vomiting” out of memorized facts as it is being done now. There should be more stringent criteria for awarding As in examination.

It is deeply disturbing that the national education system has long been used as a political tool which is the main reason for the pathetic state it is in now. There seems to be no sense of purpose or direction with repeated changes to the education policies. It should be left to the officials in the Education Ministry, academia and teachers to run the system in a more professional manner without undue political interference.

by Dr. Chris Anthony, Butterworth.

source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/7/17/focus/6681805&

Strong Body or Strong Character

Expressions of strength

By S.H. LOKE

WE admire strong people who outshine others in character and confidence. Some are physically strong, while others are emotionally or mentally strong. Here are some words associated with strength which you can use to describe people with a strong body or a strong character.

1. Robust

Very strong and healthy.

All the robust girls were chosen to take part in the tug-of-war on sports day.

2. Stocky

A stocky person has a body that is broad, solid and often short.

The stocky farmer could easily carry 20kg of vegetables by hand.

3. Sturdy

Somebody or something that is sturdy looks strong and is unlikely to be easily injured or damaged.

The sturdy angsana tree outside my house survived last night’s storm.

4. Steadfast

Not changing in your attitudes or aims.

He proved his steadfast loyalty to his company by not accepting jobs with better offers.

5. Stalwart

A loyal worker or supporter who is completely reliable.

He trusts Jack, his stalwart worker who has been with him for 20 years.

6. Steady

Sensible and reliable.

Rick is a steady student whose results are consistent.

7. Staunch

Strong and loyal in your opinions and attitude.

She is a staunch supporter of the ruling party.

8. Resilient

People and things are resilient when they are able to recover easily from unpleasant

and damaging events.

My mother is a resilient woman who ensured much suffering in her younger years.

Rubber is a very resilient material.

9. Tenacious

If you are tenacious, you are very determined and do not give up easily.

He survived the ordeal in the jungle as he is a tenacious adventurer.

10. Stoical

Someone who is stoical does not complain or show they are upset in a bad situation.

Bob is well-liked by his boss, because he is stoical even when he is loaded with too much work, and he always goes the extra mile.

source: http://thestar.com.my/english/story.asp?file=/2010/7/9/lifefocus/6398127&sec=lifefocus

Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back!

An inspirational story from my inbox...  

 
A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young
executives in his company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you."

 

The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant
the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.

 

Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however.
He just kept watering and fertilising the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room.

 

When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful --
in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified.

 

He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!"

 

Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it,
and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust

* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends

* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness

* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective

* If you plant hard work, you will reap success

* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

* If you plant faith in GOD, you will reap a harvest

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.



"Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back!"

MUET Result

from The Star;

Collect your MUET results from 10am tomorrow

PETALING JAYA: The mid-year Malaysian University English Test (MUET) results will be released tomorrow.

According to a Malaysian Exami­nations Council statement, candidates can collect their results from 10am onwards at their respective schools and institutions.

Private candidates will receive their results by post. Candidates can also check their results via SMS by typing MUETIC number and sending it to 15888 from 12.01 midnight on that day.

Alternatively, they can go to www.mpm.edu.my from 9am on­­wards.

Candidates who wish to retake MUET to improve on their mid-year MUET results can register at state education departments or district education offices.

Registration for the year-end MUET closes on July 22.

A total of 81,731 candidates sat for the 2010 MUET at 872 examination centres nationwide.

Idiom: Get On One's Nerves

get on one's nerves: irritate someone; make someone upset.

"I know you like that song, but it's getting on my nerves. Can you play something else?"

source: http://www.eslcafe.com/idioms/id-g.html

A Chance To Win An iPod Touch

Hey you...let's take part in this contest

English S.O.S

If you’ve spotted some Bad English lately, raise the S.O.S with a photo and send it to us. The best picture selected by the British Council wins MPH vouchers worth RM50 every fortnight and an iPod Touch every three months. Sounds good? Don’t sit on it, snap away and send us an S.O.S!

http://englishrescueteam.com/english-s-o-s/

What Is Verb?

What is a Verb & How are they used?

A verb is a part of speech that describes a state of being or an action. Less formally, it is also known, as an action word. It is often the core of any statement, all sentences need to include at least one verb. Recognizing the verb in a statement is a fundamental part of comprehending the intended meaning of a statement.

Take the following sentence, for instance: The straitjacket restricts most upper body movement. “Restricts” is the word that indicates action in the sentence. Even when the action does not indicate much in terms of activity, “restricts” is the sentence’s action word or verb. Here is another example: They were in a state of shock. In the proceeding example, the action does not exist, although the verb conveys a state of being. Additionally, the word “be” is unlike other typical verbs by definition, however it is still a verb.

Verbs are different to most parts of speech because they change form. Endings are can be added to the verb, wherein the word “yearn” becomes “yearned” to reflect the past tense, “catch” becomes “caught” for the same purpose. Different verb types have different meanings, when related to concepts such as past, present, and future tenses; first, second, and third-person points of view; singular and plural forms for number; and active and passive voices. Modals such as would, could, may, and might; and auxiliaries like have, will and do can accompany verbs for different meanings!

As declared above with verb tenses, a verb’s relation to time is quite significant. Verbs can state whether an event occurred earlier, is occurring currently, or will occur in the future. Events that are currently unfolding will use a verb’s present tense. Events that took place in the past will use a verb’s past tense. Events that have yet to occur will use a verb’s future tense!

Verbs which are changed to make the verb’s past tense form with “d” or “ed” are regular verbs. Irregular verbs are ones that do not follow the formula for regular verbs when changing onto the past tense. The spelling of the various irregular verbs can be hard for people not well-versed in the English language. In these instances, familiarity through exposure to written English is recommended.

The simple tenses of verbs are classically used to teach people who are just learning the language. Many know that there are several, more complex verb tenses, such as present progressive tense, past perfect tense, and etcetera. Progressive verb forms, for example, denote the subject’s action over a period of time. The perfect tense, another type of verb form, states the action’s completion.

Finally, when relating to the subject, verbs and subjects have to agree. A singular verb has to be accompanied by a singular subject, and a plural subject has to have a plural verb. This is called subject-verb agreement.

Find information on Grammar Correction Software and English language resources at EnglishGrammarSoft.com.

MELTA 2010

The Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (MELTA) will host its 19th International Conference on the theme Transformations in English Language Education: Vision, Innovation, Implementation at THREE different locations:

The Royale Chulan, Kuala Lumpur : 7- 8 June 2010

M.S. Garden Hotel Kuantan , Pahang : 11-12 June 2010

Four Points Sheraton, Kuching, Sarawak : 17-18 June 2010

I will attend MELTA 19th International Conference this weekend, I missed last year's conference. This year it's going to be my second time attending this conference as a participant. I really hope that in few years to come I will one of the presenters at MELTA conference. God willing.

for more information about MELTA 19th International Conference 

click here

Apple Pie Order

Apple pie order means a perfect order.

No Frills

I was flipping through Giant (the hypermarket) brochure just now and came across 'No Frills'

So, with the help of wikipedia, I've found the meaning and I thought I'd share with you what it means... 

No-frills or no frills is a term used to describe any service or product for which the non-essential features have been removed to keep the price low. The use of the term "frills" refers to a style of fabric decoration. Something offered to customers for no additional charge may be designated as a "frill" - for example, free drinks on airline journeys, or a radio installed in a rental car. No-frills businesses operate on the principle that by removing luxurious additions, customers may be offered lower prices. Frills or tassles on a carpet are not necessary but make the rug look fancy. Frills on any goods are not necessary but are a luxury. No frills means to live without certain luxuries.

What Is Going Bananas?

Going bananas means:

Behaving in a crazy way or becoming extremely angry.

Example:  She is going bananas over Jason Bieber.

New Blog?

I am thinking of creating another blog for this blog... erkk? what am I saying? hahah.. well.. the thing is, the blogspot account that I use for this blog has reached its limit for photo uploads!

It's not fun writing entries without putting any photos right... so I think I am gonna create another blog with this blog's url and this blog will have a new url. erkk.. u got what I mean?

It means, this blog will continue to exist, but with a different url, so to all of my readers out there, take note of this change ok...

I Like..

I found this blog interesting..
http://malaysian-english-for-dummies.blogspot.com/

When Is Father's Day 2010 in Malaysia?

To answer the above question...

Father's Day 2010 in Malaysia will be celebrated on Sunday June 20.

and I found this website

http://www.fathersdaycelebration.com/

very interesting, it has beautiful wishes for Father's Day, so if you are out of ideas what to write in your Father's Day card, you might want to visit that site. It gives great Father's Day gift ideas too..

Beside or Besides?

Beside/besides.

This following excerpt appeared in The Star, April 26, page N39: “…Wan Aishah was resplendent besides her hus­­band….” The wrong word was used. It should have been beside (a preposition meaning “at the side of, next to”) – not besides (an adverb meaning ”in addition to, apart from”).

source

A Confession of an Unhappy Professor: Essay Writing

“Here we go again”, I think every time that a new pile of turned in essay papers falls onto my table. I’ve been teaching English in this university for ten years, and still there are only a few students that surprised me with their essay writings. The rest of them seems to discover new and extremely exiting ways to irritate me and turn essay paper reading into a nightmare.

I take the first paper. Go thought it. No, I’m not reading yet. The reason I’m not doing it is because it’s not labeled. I mean, there is not even a small attempt to tell me who this unknown author is, what class he belongs to, and what his topic is. And I’m sitting here, staring confused at the paper…. I start feeling like that Greek hero trying to solve Sphinx’s puzzle. If you want to get an unsatisfactory grade, this is the perfect beginning for it. I’m not even going to read this paper. It’s not like something is going to pop up to make me understand who the ultimate genius of this eternal writing is.

I take another essay paper and realize that my happy essay checking evening has only just begun. A wonderful mixture of fancy typefaces looks right at me, and there is no way I’m going to understand something (or at least a heading) from all these italics and bolds. I bet that even Picasso’s paintings are easier to comprehend. Whatever this essay paper is about, I don’t feel like pretending to be Sherlock Holmes: “It’s simple, Watson! This essay paper is about monkeys that love bananas. How did I come up with such a smart conclusion? Because I’m one smart guy”. Give me a break.

Even though I gave this paper a chance, it failed on the next stage – plagiarism check. And this is something I’m not able to forgive under any circumstances. Every student has a chance to make several essay drafts. Is it so hard to come up with something that can be called “personal opinion”? Why do so many students prefer to take quotations, but don’t feel like providing references? And here’s one more thing about quotations – an essay paper that is made of them on more than a half can not impress any professor. I’m not an exception.

Next essay paper goes to a trash bin, too. No, not because I’m “cute and cuddly”, but because it is full of slang and contractions. Never, please, never use contractions and slang (the last one especially) in your academic writing. Do I look like a jolly uncle that comes to visit and asks his nephews about their trip to Rollercoaster Park? If I do, than… I don’t know what to say.

And here’s one more thing that makes me want to cross an essay paper over with a red marker. A page-long Introduction that is written to impress me and make an essay paper look bigger is worse than bad breath and republicans. If you don’t know what to write about to fit into my requirements for amount of words, try to use your head for a change.

Similar to long Introductions are vague explanations. You probably wanted to make a point. But after that you felt tired, or had to go and water the flowers, or you work as a Superman and have to save the world at nights instead of writing essays for my class… whatever it is that stopped you from writing good explanations, it doesn’t make me feel happy. Maybe, your intentions were different, but I got it this way, and this is the way I grade it.

Why do students want to use the word “believe” instead of “agree”, or “think”? Believe means to have faith, to hold something true on the basis of feelings, without evidence. You are writing as a scientist, so you think, argue, accept, and hold on the basis of some evidence. The rest concerns your religion and believes.

Another thing that irritates me is using “we” instead of “I”. Did Madonna help you on writing this essay, and you feel like giving credit to her? Unless it is a group activity, please use “I”.

And finally – why do you use “its” as possessive, when you mean “it’s” in the meaning it is (which is a contraction, remember)? Can’t you be just a little more attentive?

With respect,

Your grumpy professor.

Jennifer Burns is the head of customer care center at Custom-Writing.org, help essay. Having completed a number of academic assignments himself, Jennifer uses her knowledge to provide individualized customer support to students, who order academic essay and essays writing

Beauty Contest

Beauty contest/beautiful contest.

The usual expression is beauty contest, where the noun beauty is a modifier (in this example a noun functioning as an adjective).

A beautiful contest is rare – what with contestants jealous of one another and back-stabbing or bad-mouthing or sabotaging one another!


source

Affect or Effect?

Affect/effect.

Affect is a verb, and effect can be a verb or a noun.

As verbs, affect and effect have very different meanings.

To affect is to influence, to “have an effect on, make a difference to” (temperature affects the viscosity of a syrup).

To effect is to “cause to happen, bring about” (to effect a change). Incident­ally, affect has another meaning: to “pretend to have or feel” (he affected a British accent when he returned home after a one-year stay in London).


source

There is Or There are?

Here are some other examples of there is/there are use.

• There’s a lot of reasons to be optimistic. (incorrect)
• There are a lot of reasons…. (correct)

• There’s two sides to every story. (incorrect)
• There are two sides….(correct)

• There’s several storms arriving in the West. (incorrect)
• There are several storms arriving in the West. (correct)

• There’s not options out there that they like at the moment. (I actually heard this one on ESPN.) (incorrect)
• There aren’t options…. (correct)

How To Write An Essay

Essay writing is definitely considered to be a part of academic life and essay writing requires certain skills or the part of the writer. A good written essay exhibits the skills of proper organization of ideas, good vocabulary, systematic argument and collection of relevant ideas. Fare importance should be given to diction and style used for essay writing. Certain important points to be considered while writing an essay are as follows:

1) Formulate a plan :

Get into the habit of writing a plan before starting an essay or project. A plan in hand can help you to formulate ideas and thus allows you to structure your final essay in an appropriate and logical way. Essay plans can be helpful in reminding you of important points that can be used to cover in your essay.

Your plan towards essay writing should involve using of keywords and phrases, making of notes of important references and formulating the essay in a logical order. Your planning should also consist of finding which words you may need to define and find out what you could research to make your case stronger. Try to eliminate anything that is irrelevant. In other words, make note of key things that will be relevant for the essay writing.

2) Work on your title:

It is preferable to choose and write your title with proper heading before you proceed further with the other paragraphs. Keeping the title in mind, you can write your essay in an easier manner. You will be able to write easily, once you have managed to remain focused towards your title.

3) Have a proper structured body :

The body of an essay plays an important role in the over all making of the essay. The body of the essay will consist of points for discussing, elaborating, describing and arguing about the subject. Once you structure your concerned topic for production, you can then put in your ideas within the body paragraphs.

Jack william is a freelance writer who writes about the topic of college students. Mr. william often writes about specific topics used in college such as Buy Essay.

When Is Mother's Day?

When is Mother's Day in Malaysia?

In Malaysia, Mother's day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May every year.

Mother's Day Date

Different countries celebrate Mother's Day on different dates. Check out the exact date for Mother's Day in your country from the list of Mothers Day dates 2010 given below and start preparing for a big surprise of love for her.

Mother's Day 2010
Country	Day	Date
India	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
United States	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Australia	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Belgium	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Brazil	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Canada	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Denmark	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Finland	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Germany	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Greece	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Italy	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Japan	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
New Zealand	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Singapore	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
South Africa	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Turkey	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Sweden	Last Sunday in the month of May	May 30, 2010
Austria	First Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Hong Kong	First Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Netherlands	Second Sunday in the month of May	May 9, 2010
Taiwan	First Sunday in the month of May	May 2, 2010
Hungary	First Sunday in the month of May	May 2, 2010
Portugal	First Sunday in the month of May	May 2, 2010
Spain	First Sunday in the month of May	May 2, 2010
United Kingdom	Fourth Sunday in the month of March	March 14, 2010
Romania	First Sunday in the month of May	May 2, 2010

Why Were After If?

The word ‘were’ after ‘if’

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED by FADZILAH AMIN -THE STAR

I’M A little confused on how and when to use the word “were” after the word “if”. Must “were” be used after “if” in any circumstance? The attachments were taken from newspapers here on the use of ‘if’ and ‘were’. – Marc Ong

No, “were” need not be used after “if” in all circumstances, only in some. There are so many other verbs in the English language that can be used in the past tense in second conditional sentences when we are talking about an unlikely or impossible situation. Here are some examples in which the simple past tense of verbs other than “are” are used in the if-clause with “would” in the main clause:

“If I had wings, I would fly.”

“If you lost 100kg in a week, you would really be slim.”

However, in second conditional sentences beginning with “I”, “were” is usually used instead of “was”, for example in:

“If I were you, I would not buy that car.”

“If I were young again, I would try to be a professional tennis player.”

Writing Good Memo in Business Communication

Tips for Writing a Good Memo in Business Communication

Business writing differs significantly from article or academic writing. Business communication is generally in the form of reports, policies, instructions, procedures, memos, letters, orders or rules & regulations. Memos are business letters but only for employees & used within an organization.

Memos are used to give information to employees such as changes in some procedures or rules, policy change or for specific purpose like request to attend a meeting. The format of the memo differs from business letter format. Memos generally contain sections like to, from, date, subject & text of memo.

Points to remember while writing a memo:

If you are sending memo to specific person, then you should write correct name of the reader. You can write job title along with name to make it more formal.

Subject should not be vague or unclear. It should be brief & specific, which can give an idea about the purpose of the memo.

Generally, memos do not contain salutation or complimentary closing.

The text in text section of memo should be concise, clear, to the point.

Avoid use of long and complex sentences that contain too much information. Short sentences make your message more readable and understandable. You can use headings & bullets to make your memo easy to read.

First paragraph in text area or opening paragraph should contain background of the problem & purpose of the memo. Memo’s recipient should get an overview of the memo by reading the first paragraph only.

In next paragraphs, you can explain the steps you have taken or methods and sources you have used to solve the problems.

Last paragraph should be the closing segment, where you can request your reader to take an action to solve the problem. Some people use conclusion at the end of memo to summarize the content. Conclusions are also useful for suggestions and recommendations or if you wish to make a request to the reader.

If there are any attachments, always mention at the end, after closing segment.

Always proofread your memo before sending it. You can use software programs, which are available for business writing, for proofreading & to check and correct English grammar & spellings in your memo. Some software programs enrich your text with adjectives & adverbs, which enhances the simple sentence into more professional and sophisticated one & suggest context related synonym for repeated words.

For information on business English writing software please visit

http://www.truevalue4money.com

MUET Clinic

Dear students,

I will conduct a MUET class today at 4pm. Those interested please be at A11 - 4pm today.

Thank you

From The Secret

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne

From The Secret Daily Teachings

Most people don't realize how much passion they put into what they don't want. When you speak to a friend and you tell them all about an "awful" situation, you are putting passion into what you don't want. When you react to an event negatively, with the response that it is "terrible", you are putting passion into what you don't want.

You are a beautiful passionate being, so make sure you direct your passion wisely.

May the joy be with you,

hehe!

I like.... hehe... so cute right?

I am guilty of that too... ngeee...

Malaysian English

Hey all...

I just want to introduce my friend's blog

http://malaysian-english-for-dummies.blogspot.com

Learning & Teaching English : How to Teach Adults English As a Second Language

Persuasive Essay

Writing a persuasive essay is much like preparing for a debate. You need to study your persuasive essay topic from various perspectives, establish your main argument and gather supporting evidence. You also need to know how to write a persuasive essay, namely how to organize parts of the persuasive essay in the way that will work best.

Try the following instructions on how to write a persuasive essay. They are indispensable in writing a well-planned and thoroughly considered persuasive essay.

1.Start with an Impressive Lead-In

The introduction of your persuasive essay is the first words you utter to render the readers to be well-disposed to you. Moreover, it is by the introduction that the reader decides whether to go on reading you essay or leave it in peace. Thus, the introduction of your essay should be attention grabbing and impressive enough to induce the reader to read further on.

Writing a persuasive essay, you need to pay particular attention to the first sentence you are going to write down, namely a lead-in. It is the most important part of the whole persuasive essay, out of which you come out either a winner or a loser.

To write a strong and impressive lead-in, try the following strategies:
7.start with an unusual detail;
8.put a strong statement;
9.quote a famous person;
10.introduce a short and up-to-the-point anecdote;
11.open the essay with a statistic or fact;
12.start with an emphatic rhetorical question;

Before deciding on one of the strategies, try all of them. You will be surprised to find out how different strategies can enrich and smarten up the introduction to your persuasive essay.

After you have put the opening sentence, be sure to introduce a sentence that will show that you see both pros and cons of the subject matter under consideration. Then write a thesis or focus statement, which has to reveal your own point of view. A well-formulated thesis statement is the key to success, as it is the central part of your essay, around which all other parts are organized.

Remember that a good introduction should be brief, concise and end with a closing sentence that will be transitional to the next paragrath.

2.Support Your Thesis in the Body

The body of your persuasive essay is the main part of your writing where you present supporting evidence and elaborate on the reasons you stated previously. The body should be a proof that you have researched and examined your persuasive essay topic and that your arguments are reasonable and reliable.

In order to prove your thesis statement and dispel the opposing arguments, you need to: 1) state the facts of the case; 2) prove your thesis with arguments; and 3) disprove your opponent's arguments in three consecutive steps.

Statement of facts is a non-argumentative presentation of details, summaries and narration concerning the problem discussion. In this part of the body you should present supporting evidence without stating your own point of view and trying to persuade the readers in it.

First, you should remind the readers of some events, provide vivid illustrations that will show the significance of the topic. Statement of facts should be clear, brief, and vivid. If you obscure the facts, you are defeating the purpose. Thus, delete irrelevant information and information which contributes little to the reader's understanding.

After you've introduced some facts, you can get down to proving your thesis with arguments. This should be the longest section and the central part of your persuasive essay. With the readers rendered attentive by the introduction and informed by the statement of fact, you must show why your position concerning the facts should be accepted and believed.

Now comes the time to deny the truth on which the opposing argument is built. Be patient in thinking over the refutation. It is the most difficult stage that needs time, concentration and absorption.

The proven way to hook readers' attention is to leave your strongest argument for last so that to leave them with your best thought.

3.Write a Memorable Conclusion.

Your conclusion should be a "mirror image" of your introduction. It means that you should refresh the reader's memory and remind him of the thesis statement you put in the introduction. It is not a mere waste of time or words, but the best way to convince the reader to take your side.

As well as in writing the introduction, you can try several ways to write a memorable conclusion for your persuasive essay.

Except for restating the introduction, you can summarize the main points to enable the readers to recall the main points of your position.

A nice way to conclude the persuasive essay is to write a personal comment or call for action. It could be: 1) your prediction; 2) a question that will let the readers make their own predictions; 3) your recommendations to solve a problem; 4) a quotation. It's up to you to decide!

The last line of your persuasive essay, that is the "tag line," needs special attention, for it is the second most important line after the lead-in. Thus, it is important that it:
4.renders the readers to be well disposed to you;
5.magnifies your points;
6.puts the readers in the proper mood.

Once you have put the full stop after the "tag line", your work is over. But make sure that the words you have put in your persuasive essay will be "working" long after your readers stop reading it.

written by: Linda Correli

Public Speaking – The Art of Speech Making

Public Speaking – The Art of Speech Making

How do you speak naturally while all those people are watching you?

This document covers hints and tips on public speaking and presentation skill, dealing with public speaking nerves and anxiety, public speaking skills and public speaking techniques, public speaking training.

Common Fears of Public Speaking

What happens when you have to speak in public?

Did you know that public speaking tops the list of phobias for most people? Not spiders or heights – public speaking – speech in public!

Well, if you didn’t know that, we bet your body does. It will do all kinds of unpleasant things to you when you have to stand up and face a sea of faces with the hope of getting your message across in a compelling and interesting way.

Your hands may sweat and your mouth goes dry. Your knees may shake and a quaver affects your voice. Your heart may race and those well known butterflies invade your stomach.

When all that happens most people don’t think of getting their message across in a compelling and interesting way; they just think of getting off the ’stage’ as quickly as possible!

Have we frightened you sufficiently yet?

It’s normal

We don’t really mean to frighten you, just remind you that your body reacts ‘in extremis’ when put under pressure, and for most people, public speaking is just about the worst pressure they can be put under.

It’s normal to be nervous and have a lot of anxiety when speaking in public. In a way, it’s less normal not to have nerves or anxiety; in fact, to feel you have a phobia about public speaking.

Why do we get Public Speaking anxiety?

Fight or flight

Our bodies are geared to fight or flight from ancient time – fight that mastodon or get the hell out of the way. We don’t have too many mastodons around these days, but the body still reacts as though we do. So, if we have to get up and speak in public, all that adrenalin and noradrenalin goes coursing through our bodies – way more than we need.

We can’t run away (well, we could, but we’d be out of job pretty quick if we did it too often), so our only option is to fight. But in terms of speaking in public, it can be hard to define just what we’re fighting.

Why does public speaking do this to us?

Good question. You’d think that for most people, being given the opportunity to impress their audience would be a fantastic one. There you are in front of a group of people, the spotlight is on you and for the length of time you’ve been give, the world is yours.

Or is it?

The very fact that the spotlight is you is enough to trigger every fear, anxiety and phobia you’ve ever had about public speaking.

Here’s why

You may be judged by all those people, and judged badly
You may feel like a fool
You might make mistakes and loose your way
You’ll be completely humiliated
You’ll never be as good as _________ (fill in the blank)
‘They’ won’t like you
‘They’ won’t ‘get’ what you’re trying to say

How to overcome fear of Public Speaking
What good are Nerves

Public speaking may not be comfortable, but take our word for it, nerves are good. Being ‘centre stage’ is not a good place to feel too comfortable.

Nerves will keep you awake and ensure you don’t get too complacent. Hard to feel complacent when your heart is beating so hard you’re sure everyone watching you can hear it.

If channelled well, nerves can make the difference between giving a humdrum presentation and giving one that keeps people listening.

Get your attention off yourself

It’s very tempting to keep focused on how you’re feeling, especially if you’re feeling really uncomfortable. You’ll start to notice every bead of sweat.

To make your nerves work for you, you need to focus on just about anything other than yourself. You can distract yourself by paying attention to the environment in which you’re speaking and seeing how you can make it work for you.

Once you’re actually in front of your audience, pay attention to them. If you can, notice how people are dressed, who’s wearing glasses, who has on bright colours. There will be dozens and dozens of things you can pay attention to help you trick your mind into not noticing what’s going on with you.

Anything will do and you will find that the less you concentrate on how you are feeling and the more you concentrate on other things, the more confident you will feel.

How to build confidence in Public Speaking

Your audience can be your friend

Unless you know you’re absolutely facing a hostile group of people, human nature is such that your audience wants you succeed. They’re on your side!

Therefore, rather than assuming they don’t like you, give them the benefit of the doubt that they do.

They aren’t an anonymous sea of faces, but real people. So to help you gain more confidence when speaking in public, think of ways to engage your audience. Remember, even if they aren’t speaking, you can still have a two-way conversation.

When you make an important point pay attention to the people who are nodding in agreement and the ones who are frowning in disagreement. As long as you are creating a reaction in your audience you are in charge.

Keep them awake

The one thing you don’t want is for them to fall asleep! But make no mistake public speaking arenas are designed to do just that: dim lights, cushy chairs, not having to open their mouths – a perfect invitation to catch up on those zzzzs.

Ways to keep them away include

Ask rhetorical questions
Maintain eye contact for a second or two with as many people as possible
Be provocative
Be challenging
Change the pace of your delivery
Change the volume of your voice

Public Speaking Training

Get a coach

Whatever the presentation public speaking is tough, so get help.

Since there are about a zillion companies out there all ready to offer you public speaking training and courses, here are some things to look for when deciding the training that’s right for you.

Focus on positives not negatives

Any training you do to become more effective at public speaking should always focus on the positive aspects of what you already do well.

Nothing can undermine confidence more than telling someone what they aren’t doing well.

You already do lots of things well good public speaking training should develop those instead of telling you what you shouldn’t do.

Turn your back on too many rules

If you find a public speaking course that looks as though it’s going to give you lots of dos and don’ts, walk away! Your brain is going to be so full of whatever it is you’re going to be talking about that to try to cram it full of a whole bunch of rules will just be counterproductive.

As far as we’re concerned, aside from physical violence or inappropriately taking off your clothes, there are no hard and fast rules about public speaking.

You are an individual not a clone

Most importantly, good public speaking training should treat you as a unique individual, with your own quirks and idiosyncrasies. You aren’t like anybody else and your training course should help you bring out your individuality, not try to turn you into someone you’re not.

Hints and Tips for Effective Public Speaking

Here are just a few hints, public speaking tips and techniques to help you develop your skills and become far more effective as a public speaker.

Mistakes

Mistakes are all right.

Recovering from mistakes makes you appear more human.
Good recovery puts your audience at ease – they identify with you more.

Humour

Tell jokes if you’re good at telling jokes.
If you aren’t good, best to leave the jokes behind.
There’s nothing worse than a punch line that has no punch.
Gentle humour is good in place of jokes.
Self-deprecation is good, but try not to lay it on too thick.

Tell stories

Stories make you a real person not just a deliverer of information.
Use personal experiences to bring your material to life.
No matter how dry your material is, you can always find a way to humanise it.

How to use the public speaking environment

Try not to get stuck in one place.
Use all the space that’s available to you.
Move around.
One way to do this is to leave your notes in one place and move to another.
If your space is confined (say a meeting room or even presenting at a table) use stronger body language to convey your message.

Technology

Speak to your audience not your slides.
Your slides are there to support you not the other way around.
Ideally, slides should be graphics and not words (people read faster than they hear and will be impatient for you to get to the next point).
If all the technology on offer fails, it’s still you they’ve come to hear.

You can learn to enjoy public speaking and become far more effective at standing in front of a group of people and delivering a potent message.

When it comes to improving your public speaking skills we have three words:

practise, practise, practise!

Jo Ellen and Robin run Impact Factory and have trained thousands of people in the art of Public Speaking for events from Wedding Speeches through to Key Note Conference Speeches.