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