How To Write Progress Report

In business, the bosses need to be informed of what’s happening on a project.

IN a well-established business organisation, a subordinate officer is usually required to submit periodic progress reports to his superior to keep him informed of what has been done on a project, what is being done and what remains to be done.

As progress reports are official documents, their tone should be serious and formal. Even though progress reports are often in the form of a memo, the writer should use standard English. Progress reports represent not only the writer’s ability to communicate, but also his organisational and analytical skills.

Progress reports can be written in different formats. However, the management should adopt a uniform format throughout. The following format is commonly used.

The beginning – If the progress report is a memo, it should contain the following standard items:

TO: Full name and position of the superior.

FROM: Full name and position of the subordinate with his/her initials.

DATE: Date the report is submitted.

SUBJECT: A phrase indicating the purpose of the report.

Introduction – Here the writer gives his superior some background information. Tell him what the project is and clarify its development over time. If there are earlier progress reports, a brief reference should be made to them.

This section is also known as “Background” or “Terms Of Reference” but in normal practice the heading is not required.

Body – This is the main section comprising three parts: “Work Completed”, written mainly in past tense, “Work in Progress”, written mainly in present tense, and “Work to be Completed”, written mainly in future tense.

Work completed: The first part of the body explains what work has been done so far. Follow the tasks chronologically or according to the sequence of the tasks completed.

Work in progress: The second part tells the superior what is being done. Perhaps there are some problems which hinder the progress of the project. As a result, part of the project may need to be modified or postponed. Explain your strategy for solving the problems encountered.

Work to be done: The third part specifies the remaining activities to be carried out. It is helpful to fix the deadlines for each of the tasks.

Conclusion – Here the writer gives a summary and evaluation of the progress or development of the project. Again the heading “Conclusion”, “Summary” or “Comment” is not required in a memo progress report.

Sample progress report

TO: Dr Razak Yusop, Regional Manager

FROM: Joseph Lam, Chairman of Organising Committee

DATE: Dec 27, 2011

SUBJECT: Planning for company motivation workshop

Our committee is in charge of planning a one-day motivation workshop scheduled to be held on Saturday, March 2, 2012. The proposed workshop, approved by the headquarters on Dec 8, 2011, aims to make our staff more aware of the importance of teamwork and contributing one’s best not only for individual career advancement but also for the ultimate growth and development of our Supreme Business Innovation Company. As requested, this update is submitted to you for your reference and advice.

Work completed

The committee met on Dec 16. We fixed a suitable theme for our proposed workshop, which was “Transforming Work Pressure Into Life Pleasure” or, in short, “Transformer Breakthrough”. The proposed motivation workshop was made compulsory by the managing director for all the staff members at the Petaling Jaya, George Town, Johor Baru and Ipoh branches.

Names of several popular speakers were proposed. They were Dr Manjit Singh from the National University of Singapore, Dr Hamzah Ibrahim from the Science University of Malaysia, Dr Grace Chong from the Multimedia University, Dr Loga Ramasamy from the Technology University of Malaysia and Prof Luke Yong from the Putra University of Malaysia.

Owing to heavy work schedule and other commitments, Dr Grace Chong and Dr Loga Ramasamy had indicated that they would not be able to come for the motivation workshop.

Dr Manjit Singh, Dr Hamzah Ibrahim and Prof Luke Yong had agreed to come. They would lead us in three separate sessions tentatively entitled “Knowing Yourself As A Team Player”, “Your Greatest Enemy” and “A Winner through Thick And Thin” respectively. Each session would take two hours, including a 10-minute intermission.

However, Dr Luke Yong mentioned that in the event that he could not make it, his faculty colleague Dr Paul Raj would replace him. The same topic would be presented. Dr Luke Yong would let us know by mid-January 2012 who would be coming.

Work in progress

We are finalising the workshop schedule and choosing the best venue in Petaling Jaya for our motivation workshop. Four hotels are available and we are studying their quotations and other terms. Meanwhile, we are also arranging for accommodation, food and refreshment for the speakers as well as our participants. We are also making a request to the hotels to provide us with a complete public address system. However, we need to get ready other ICT equipment such as laptops and LCD projectors. We are also looking into various estimated costs to ensure that the total expenses do not exceed the given budget.

Work to be completed

We will send out letters of invitation to all our company staff and a few special guests once everything is ready. Information will also be posted to our company website. A Master of Ceremony and a stand-by will be appointed by the Petaling Jaya branch manager shortly. Our CEO Datuk Michael Chew will deliver a speech and declare the workshop open.

There are a few more things that need to be done:

A staff member is required to fetch Dr Manjit Singh from the KLIA on his arrival. He will fly in a day in advance. His flight and time of arrival will be made known in due course.

The other two speakers will come on their own and report to the hotel in Petaling Jaya a day in advance too. Arrangement will be made for their meals and accommodation.

The management will work out the quantum of payment for each of the three speakers for their service.

All the necessary information must be relayed to the three speakers by the second week of February 2012.

We will make announcements to the press, various business leaders who have close association with us, the chamber of commerce, and a number of higher institutions of learning in the Klang Valley at least three weeks before the scheduled workshop.

Everything is going on fine so far. We have not been confronted with major issues and we are confident that the proposed motivation workshop will be able to reinforce the spirit of dedication and hard work among our staff members. This will go a long way in helping us to accomplish the vision and mission of our company.

Written by Yong Ah Yong

UTAR, Kampar, Perak.

http://thestar.com.my/english/story.asp?file=/2012/1/13/lifefocus/10196611&sec=lifefocus

The teh tarik man

Mind Our English

Idiomania

By OH TEIK THEAM

HAMID, why are you not preparing teh tarik for your customers?” I asked the Teh Tarik Man the other day, as I dug into my fortnightly helping of roti canai.

Pointing at the blue-shirted young man standing a short distance away, he replied, “His name is Raman, and he is helping my wife and me run the business. Actually, he is on loan from my brother-in-law, who owns a restaurant in Penang.”

“Just like a footballer joining a club on loan, eh?” I teased him.

“Yeah,” he said, chuckling like a jovial car salesman.

“Raman is here because I have a frozen shoulder – I can’t lift my right arm completely. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can resume my normal duties soon. Let me give you a piece of good news,” he added. “The health department gave my premises a clean bill of health yesterday.”

“I’m glad about the department’s certification and sorry about your medical condition,” I said.

Nodding, he said, “My primary goal is to maintain the business so that I don’t lose my regular customers. Raman works like a horse, and I am happy with his unexampled diligence. Even without preparing the teh tarik, I usually have my hands full: I serve the customers, collect the money and wash the dishes.”

“You can still prepare the teh tarik,” I said matter-of-factly.

“How do I do that?”

“If you tarik the drink downwards, you don’t have to lift an arm.”

“That is out of the question,” he demurred at my suggestion, his thick eyebrows rising to underscore his words.

“I lift my right arm above my head when I tarik my teh tarik. If I were to prepare the drink now,” he continued, after rubbing his upper arm a little, “I may lift my right arm from force of habit, and then –”

“You will be in pain,” I finished the sentence for him.

“No,” he corrected me with a naughty wink. “The pain will be in me!”

“Don’t worry about the frozen shoulder,” I said after I had recovered from a paroxysm of laughter. “It will heal by and by and you’ll be all right.”

With a smile full of cheerfulness pouring into the creases of his wizened face, the Teh Tarik Man said, “As you can see, I am keeping my chin up!”

The other day: At some time not long ago.

Dig into: To begin eating heartily.

Keep one’s fingers crossed: To hope.

A clean bill of health: A report that a person or thing is healthy or in satisfactory condition.

Work like a horse: To work very hard.

Have one’s hands full: To be very busy.

Out of the question: Not to be considered; impossible.

By and by: In the course of time; soon.

All right: (i) Healthy or safe. (ii) I agree; yes. (“All right, you may go to the party,” the father said to his daughter.) (iii) Satisfactory. (This article is all right, but it will be even better with another rewrite.) (iv) Acceptable. (Is it all right for me to go to the party?) (v) Certainly. (He is the culprit all right.)

Keep one’s chin up: To remain cheerful when faced with worries, disappointments or difficulties.

Until Today

THE expression “until today” is very common among Malaysians. I think the phrase is often wrongly used and does not describe what a speaker is really trying to convey.

When you say “until today”, doesn’t it mean the situation or the process stops today and will not continue after today? For example, the statement “He was a bachelor until today” means “He gets married today”; it does not mean “He is still a bachelor today.”

Therefore, we cannot say “Malaysia is a multiracial country until today” when we know that Malaysia will still be a multiracial country tomorrow. Shouldn’t we say “Malaysia is a multiracial country even today” instead? – Nasir

You are right. “Until” means “up to the point in time or event mentioned” (online Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary). So, we should NOT say “Malaysia is a multiracial country until today.”, BUT “Malaysia is still a multiracial country today.”, where “still” means “continuing until a particular point in time and not finishing.” (OALD)

Your suggested sentence, “Malaysia is a multiracial country even today.” can be used when we want to emphasise how surprising it is that Malaysia is still a multiracial country today! “Even” as an adverb is “used to emphasise something unexpected or surprising” (OALD).

source

How To Critize

George B. Johnston of Enid, Oklahoma, is the safety coordinator for an engineering company, one of his re-sponsibilities is to see that employees wear their hard hats whenever they are on the job in the field.

He reported that whenever he came across workers who were not wearing hard hats, he would tell them with a lot of authority of the regulation and that they must comply. As a result he would get sullen acceptance, and often after he left, the workers would remove the hats.

He decided to try a different approach.

The next time he found some of the workers not wearing their hard hat, he asked if the hats were uncomfortable or did not fit properly. Then he reminded the men in a pleasant tone of voice that the hat was designed to protect them from injury and suggested that it always be worn on the job. The result was increased compliance with the regulation with no resentment or emotional upset.

By criticizing, we do not make lasting changes and often incur resentment.

Other Than Using So Many... Use These instead..

Wordwise: So many

By S.H. LOKE - The Star - Mind Your Language.

ALL kinds of things can be found aplenty. We enjoy bountiful blessings, food that exists in large quantities, and a great variety of fascinating customs. Here are some words to describe abundance. Using these specific words will enrich your language.

1. Avalanche

A large number of things that arrive suddenly at the same time.

An avalanche of congratulatory messages arrived from all over the world.

2. Shower

To generously give someone a lot of things.

John showers his wife with a lot of gifts.

A party at which the guests bring gifts.

During her baby shower, Pat received many lovely gifts.

3. Outpouring

Continuous expressions of strong feelings.

There was a great outpouring of joy when some students received their SPM results.

4. Flood

To arrive or go somewhere in large numbers

Thousands of spectators flooded the stadium.

If a feeling or memory floods over someone, or floods back, they feel or remember it strongly.

I felt relief flooding over me when our plane landed safely.

Memories of my childhood flooded back as I walked around my hometown.

5. Cascade

Something that hangs down in large quantities

Her cascade of wavy, black hair compliments her black eyes.

The lantana blooms cascade over her balcony.

6. Galore

To emphasise something that exists in very large quantities.

It was so delightful to see the cakes galore served at the party.

7. Gamut

A complete range of things of the same kind or a wide variety of things of the same kind.

The gamut of cameras exhibited at the show is staggering.

8. Myriad

Having a large number or a large variety of.

The Australian Great Barrier Reef is teeming with myriad forms of marine life.

Myriad stars twinkle like diamonds in the sky.

9. Multitude

A multitude of things or people means a very large number of them.

Multitudes gathered outside the embassy in silent protest.

10. Throng

A large crowd of people.

Excited shoppers throng the supermarkets during their sales.

Sam pushed his way through the jostling throng.

11. Droves

A very large number of people who go somewhere or do something.

Droves of people flocked to the computer fair.

Silver Jubilee / Jubli Perak

I was talking to one of my colleagues few days ago, the name of our college hall was the topic of discussion. Which is Dewan Jubli Perak. Just to share this info..

A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark. Silver Jubilee is followed by Golden Jubilee

Hence, the name of our hall is Dewan Jubli Perak because we have already celebrated 25th anniversary of our college in 2008.

A Golden Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 50th anniversary.

For example,

In Malaysia, Sultan Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah celebrated his Golden Jubilee on 15 July 2008 after 50 years successfully reigning the state of Kedah

A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person (e.g. wedding anniversary, length of time a monarch has reigned) or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event


and there is also Platinum Jubilee.

Complimentary Close

Yours faithfully

`Yours faithfully' is used when the letter opens with the salutation `Dear Sir/s or `Dear Madam'

Yours sincerely

`Yours sincerely' is used with the salutation `Dear Mr. Lee or `Dear Ms. Lopez'

On Your Bike, Malaysia = Get Lost, Malaysia?

Appalling ignorance

RECENTLY, I saw a sticker on the rear windscreen of a car ahead of me that read “On Your Bike, Malaysia!”

I was shocked and speechless. Looking carefully at the sticker I realised that it was some sort of campaign to get Malaysians to ride their bicycles. I searched for it online and discovered that there will be an event held soon and that is the name of the campaign. I don’t know whether to be appalled or just brush it aside and say, oh well, the locals don’t know what the phrase means.

Now, I cannot be the only person in the whole of Malaysia who knows what the phrase means. In Britain, when one says, “On your bike!” (usually, they say, “on yer bike, mate!”) it means “Get lost!” So, we simply copy it and what are we saying? “Get Lost, Malaysia!” We are telling Malaysia to get lost, just when we are celebrating our national day.

This may be a British phrase but surely the organisers could have come up with a more positive and persuasive tagline than that? People must be laughing at our stupidity and ignorance right now. Please, please do not embarrass the country. Word play is one thing, but this is just appalling. – A

reader

source

Please Repeat Again...

Question:

One of the meanings of “repeat” is to say/write again. Does this mean it is wrong to say “repeat again” in a sentence?

If the answer is yes, then please explain the following sentence given on p.1,284 of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (7th edition) under the definition of “repeat”: She kept repeating his name softly over and over again.

Answer:

Yes, we don’t usually say or write “repeat again”, because it would be redundant to do so. In the case of the sentence from the OALD, the idea of repetition is expressed three times: in the word “kept” (= did something repeatedly), in the word “repeating” and in the idiomatic phrase “over and over again” (= many times; repeatedly). Perhaps “She uttered his name softly over and over again.” would get rid of the redundancy, without losing the literary effect of the original.

Just because something is in print does not mean it cannot be questioned, and I am glad that you questioned the logic of that sentence.

source

Who or Whom?

The usage of Who and whom

Mind Our English - thestar.com.my
Co-ordinated by Jane F. Ragavan

PLEASE explain how to use “who” and “whom”. Are the sentences correct?

1. Whom are they waiting for?

2. Whom do you I saw when I opened the door?

3. Whom are they referring to?

4. Whom do you think you are? – Lim Hian

“Who” is the subject pronoun and “whom” is the object pronoun. However, in modern British English, “who” is more frequently used as both subject and object pronouns, except after a preposition, and in formal speech or writing.

1. “Whom are they waiting for?” is correct, but too formal. “Whom” here is the object of the preposition “for”. “Who are they waiting for?” is more commonly used.

2. Your second sentence is ungrammatical. Did you mean “Whom did I see when I opened the door?” Here, “whom” is the object of the verb “see”. It is, however, more common to say “Who did I see when I opened the door?”

3. This question is similar in structure to question 1. Although “Whom are they referring to?” is correct, it is too formal. “Who are they referring to?” is more often used.

4. “Who do you think you are?” is the correct sentence, because “who” is the complement, not the object of the verb “are” (a form of the verb “be”).

There are well-known expressions, however, which use “whom” rather than who, but “whom” in these expressions come after prepositions, e.g. “To Whom It May Concern” written at the top of a reference for a job or scholarship, and “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, originally written by John Donne for a sermon in the 17th century and used by Ernest Hemingway in the 20th century as the title of one of his novels.

1 Sentence 8 Different Meanings

READER Tam Yong Yuee of Mind Our English - The Star, sent in this snippet about Professor Ernest Brennecke of Columbia who is credited with inventing a sentence that can be made to have eight different meanings by placing one word in all possible positions in the sentence, “I hit him in the eye yesterday.” The word is “only”.

1. ONLY I hit him in the eye yesterday. (No one else did.)

2. I ONLY hit him in the eye yesterday. (Did not slap him.)

3. I hit ONLY him in the eye yesterday. (I did not hit others.)

4. I hit him ONLY in the eye yesterday. (I did not hit outside the eye.)

5. I hit him in ONLY the eye yesterday. (Not other organs.)

6. I hit him in the ONLY eye yesterday. (He doesn’t have another eye.)

7. I hit him in the eye ONLY yesterday. (Not today.)

8. I hit him in the eye yesterday ONLY. (Did not wait for today.)

source:http://thestar.com.my/english/story.asp?file=/2011/5/26/lifefocus/8695332&sec=lifefocus

Has or Had?

Has or had

THIS was a question in my child’s school test paper:

I saw a proboscis monkey which ______ a huge nose in the zoo last week.

A. has B. had C. have D. having

The answer given was A. Has

Please tell me why the answer is not B. Had to synchronise with the past tense of the sentence viz “saw” and “last week”. – A mother

The answer can be either B or A. The sentence uses a past reporting verb “saw”. A verb of perception can be used to report what you or other people see, hear, etc. (See Collins Cobuild English Grammar 2nd edition, 2005, p.316, 7.10 “verbs of learning and perceiving” and p.321, 7.27 “verbs used with ‘that’-clauses”). When a past reporting verb is used in a sentence, the relative clause that follows it also uses a past tense (tense consistency). Hence “had” is used:

“I saw a proboscis monkey which had a huge nose in the zoo last week.”

However, when reporting something that is permanent, a present tense verb can be used. Since proboscis monkeys always have huge noses, we can also use “has” in the sentence:

“I saw a proboscis monkey which has a huge nose in the zoo last week.”

Below are some examples of the use of the present tense and the past tense in similar sentences on the Internet:

“Back into the main area, we saw a Gymnocereus [a type of cactus] which has an odd habit, growing as a sprawling, spreading plant.”

(from British Cactus & Succulent Society, Southampton & District Branch Newsletter, December 2009)

The odd habit described is a permanent feature of the plant: so the present tense verb “has” is used.

“We saw a puffin which had about eight sand eels in its mouth to feed its young.” (from a report on a school trip to Skomer Island, off the coast of south-west Wales, UK)

Puffins don’t always have “eight sand eels in its mouth to feed its young”: so the past tense verb “had” is used in the relative clause.

By FADZILAH AMIN - thestar.com.my

Madam, Teacher or Cikgu?

By FADZILAH AMIN - thestar.com.my

IT is acceptable to call a doctor whose name is Siti, Dr Siti and a police inspector whose surname is Lee, Inspector Lee? Is it all right to call a teacher whose name is Siti, Teacher Siti? Do we call a married teacher whose name is Lucy Lau Madam Lau? Is it correct to call this teacher Madam Lucy? Or is it more accurate to call her Madam Lucy Lau? – Bryan Yap Jet Rong

It is acceptable, in fact usual, to call (or more formally “address”) a police inspector whose surname is Lee, “Inspector Lee”. But a lady whose first name is “Siti” usually has another name after that, like “Siti Fatimah”. So, you should address her as “Dr Siti Fatimah” unless she has told you to address her as “Dr Siti” only.

You don’t address a teacher as “Teacher + her/his name”, but you may say “Cikgu + her/his name”. When addressing a Malaysian teacher, you may also use one of the following words before her or his name, whichever is appropriate: Puan, Encik, Cik, Mrs, Mr, Miss or Ms (pronounced Miz). When you have a new teacher, it is a good idea to ask the teacher what she or he would like to be called. (Ms, by the way, is a fairly new term that doesn’t indicate a lady’s marital status.)

As for the term “Madam” for married Chinese women teachers, a Chinese friend of mine (who was a teacher) explained the following to me. You use “Madam” with the lady’s father’s surname, but “Mrs” with the lady’s husband’s surname. Thus if Lucy Lau is married to Mr Lau, you call her “Mrs Lau”. If her original surname is Lau and she is married to a Mr Lim, for example, you can call her either “Madam Lau” or “Mrs Lim”. But as I said before, ask her what she would like to be called.

I don’t think you should call her “Madam Lucy” or “Madam Lucy Lau” unless she tells you to.

The Curse: Elements of a novel

The elements of a novel include the following:


i. Plot - the structure of a novel. It shows the arrangement of events and actions within
a story (please refer to notes on Freytag‟s Pyramid below for details).

ii. Setting - the time, place, physical details, and circumstances in which a situation
occurs. Setting enables the reader to better envision how a story unfolds by relating
necessary physical details of a piece of literature.

iii. Theme - is the main idea, or message, of an essay, paragraph, or a book. The
message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore
timeless and universal ideas and may be implied rather than stated explicitly. Along
with plot, character, setting, and style, theme is considered one of the fundamental
components of fiction. It is the universal statement or feel when you read a piece of
writing.

iv. Character and characterisation - a character is a person in a narrative who may
represent a particular class of group of people. Characters in a novel a the vehicle
by which author conveys to us his / her view of the world. Characters maybe classify
either main character or minor character. The characterisation of a character is
revealed by actions, speech, thoughts, physical appearance, and the other
characters‟ thoughts or words.

v. Language - used by author to reveal the theme and purpose of the novel.

Novel: The Curse

What is a novel?


Only in a novel are all things given full play – D. H. Lawrence

A novel is a long narrative in literary prose. Novels tell stories, which are typically
defined as a series of events described in a sequence. The novel has been a part of human
culture for over a thousand years, although its origins are somewhat debated. Regardless of
how it began, the novel has risen to prominence and remained one of the most popular and
treasured examples of human culture and writing.

There have been stories and tales for thousands of years, but novels must combine a
few unique characteristics in order to be defined as such. First, a novel is written down,
rather than told through an oral account. Secondly, novels are meant to be fictional in form,
differentiating them from myths, which are said to have their basis in reality or theology.
Although some modern scholars argue differently, there is no truly established guideline for
length, point-of-view, or even establishment of a moral or philosophical point in novels.

Complaining Frequency

I am back people! (errkk.. is anybody still visiting this blog?)

Anyway,

I have this interesting thought to share;

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

From The Secret Daily Teachings

If you are complaining about things in your life, you are on the complaining frequency, and you are not in a position to attract what you want.

Get on to the frequency of good with your thoughts and words. Firstly you will feel good, and secondly you will be on the frequency of receiving more good.

May the joy be with you,

English Literature Component Courseware: My First Experience

This semester, I had a chance to learn something new!

Instructional Computer Technology. I maybe quite a late bloomer on this.. haha, but people say, better late then never, right.

Anyway, for this class my friend and I decided to do a courseware on THE CURSE!

Armchair Critic

The English Language is rich in vocabulary, including its ways of expressing distinctions meaning.

It is particularly rich in in idiomatic expressions.

Here is an example;

An armchair critic means a person who critically judges others' work and gives advice, but who has not himself experienced doing the work.

Spot The Error

http://englishrescueteam.com

What’s The Best Way To Learn A New Language?

Written by David

source: http://englishrescueteam.com/whats-the-best-way-to-learn-a-new-language/

It’s a million dollar question. Everyone has a different way of learning and different ideas of how best to learn. We’ve asked several of our colleagues and students here at the British Council what they think. Here’s what they said:

2011

"If the students don't learn d way we teach, then, teach them the way they learn."

Happy New Year...

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/