Cold Medina Meaning

If some burly, impatient builder were to shout 'Slab!' at a construction site, and subsequently stare in my direction, what is my reaction to be' As his stare transforms to a glare, his eyes becoming more savage by the second, I begin to feel rather ill at ease. What meaning am I to extract from this single word statement' Am I to ponder the nature of the object just uttered' Am I to shout something equally arbitrary back in his direction' Or am I to fetch this object post-haste' As anyone familiar with the 'language-game' of a construction site might tell me: surely the latter, if I don't want to be thrown from the side of the scaffolding.The term 'language-game' was coined by the Austrian-born philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) to refer to the idioms adopted by and...  [Read more]

  The idiom "cold shoulder" means treating someone with coldness or ignoring someone. Our example is as follows: Anna is giving me the cold shoulder. She must be angry at me. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. In the first unit of the course, I feel I have learned just how crucial the student-teacher relationship is in teaching a foreign language. When a teacher forms this healthy relationship with a student, it is easier to cater lessons to a...  [Read more]

If you are tired of dark, cold winter nights and grey, windy days, then why not get TEFL certified and start a new life as an English language teacher in a tropical country? Every year, thousands of everyday people do exactly that and for most it will be one of the best decisions they ever make. So where exactly can you teach English in the tropics? Although it is only a small country by area, Costa Rica has one of the best job markets for TEFL qualified teachers in Central America. The most common form of employment are private language schools that can be found in most built up areas. There is also a good market for private tutoring, either part time on top of a regular teaching job or full time once you have found enough students. The majority of positions are filled following an...  [Read more]

Since the meaning is an important device in teaching grammar, it is important to contextualize any grammar point. Songs are one of the most enchanting and culturally rich resources that can easily be used in language classrooms. Songs offer a change from routine classroom activities. They are precious resources to develop students' abilities in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. They can also be used to teach a variety of language items such as sentence patterns, vocabulary, pronunciation, rhythm, adjectives, and adverbs. Songs also give new insights into the target culture. They are the means through which cultural themes are presented effectively. Since they provide authentic texts, they are motivating. Prosodic features of the language such as stress,...  [Read more]

Reading is a process by which a reader gives meaning to text. The reader relies on a series of skills which they, depending on the age of the English language learner, may already possess in their native tongue. An older child or adult reader will read text knowing its purpose and meaning i.e. to give or request information, persuade, criticise, to give pleasure to or entertain. Further, they can make logical predictions as they read because of pre-existing experience or knowledge. All these skills are used by fluent readers, and as such, will be second nature to an older child or adult. A young English language learner may not have these skills or are developing them at the same time as learning a new language. This will necessitate the adoption of differing texts for reading....  [Read more]

The word rapport originates from the French word, rapporter, meaning to bring back and the Oxford English Dictionary definition is one of “a close and harmonious relationship in which there is common understanding”. But what is the reality of rapport and is it of any importance in the classroom' With so many teaching methods, practises, aids and testing means at a teachers disposal, do we even need to spend time considering rapport and trying to build it with students' The short answer is most definitely yes. Rapport is a key characteristic of human interaction. It is a commonality of perspective. It is about basic interaction at every level. The relationship and rapport developed between a teacher and their students is a vital ingredient in the success of any...  [Read more]

It was while attempting to wrap my brain around the meaning of the construction "must needs", which I had encountered so often in classical English Literature, that I was incidentally drawn to an inves-tigation of modals. Modals, I learned, are semantic expressions of modalities: which is to say that they are nuanced constructions designed to express the speakers point of view with regards to his subject: be it his degree of certainty regarding the truth of a proposition he is propounding, his expression of permission, obligation, or necessity implicated in a situation, or his opinion regarding someone's- or something's- ability or volition with respect to a potential.Said differently, a modality is merely a point of view, and a modal a linguistic vehicle for expressing that...  [Read more]

According to Webster's Dictionary an idiom is 'an expression whose meaning cannot be predicted from the usual meaning of its constituent elements.' I also like the definition of T.C. Cooper's that 'An idiom can have a literal meaning, but its alternate, figurative meaning must be understood metaphorically.' In the last week, since choosing 'idioms' as a subject for this paper, I have been particularly aware of how many of these phrases are used in everyday speech -' 'It's a piece of cake,' 'I'm fed up!' 'It's raining cats and dogs,' 'Let sleeping dogs lie.' These are enough to make a student who has consulted an English dictionary shake his head and say, 'I can't make heads or tails of what these phrases mean,' which, of course, he cannot do until he has been taught the ...  [Read more]

  Even though many people use "may" and "might" interchangeably, they actually have slightly different meanings. The word "may", for example refers to a possibility, while "might" conveys slightly more uncertainty. In the example "There are dark clouds in the sky. It may rain later", we use "may" because the dark clouds suggest the possibility of rain. The sentence "I'm sick but I might come to the party" uses "might" because it is not certain the person will go to the party. This means, you should use 'may' when there is some kind of a sign that predicts or indicates future happenings. You should use 'might' when expressing something a little more unlikely or uncertain. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification...  [Read more]

In today's world the term 'global' takes on an entirely new meaning. Initially termed to mean in reference to the world as a whole, as opposed to individual countries, but today, while still holding true, it also means something more. The internet, modern media, email, and even to a lesser extend telephones, have made it possible to communicate with almost every person on the planet, a thought not even considered possible one hundred years ago. People separated by thousands of miles have never been closer and it takes nothing more than a touch of a button. The French can talk to the United States of America, the Brazilian to the United Kingdom, Africa to Asia; you could probably even speak to someone studying in the Antarctic if you tried hard enough. Or at least these people ...  [Read more]

The use of music in classrooms today is widespread, but it's educational value is in debate. This article will discuss the importance of music and song when teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). It is my opinion that music is a vital tool that a teacher can utilise to enhance language retention as well as student motivation and enjoyment.Music helps create positive feelings about learning English (Uchida, 2003). Music and song are universal as is the enjoyment of music and students will already be experiencing music in their own culture. Therefore, the introduction of music into the classroom can be a very non-threatening way of creating a comfortable classroom atmosphere, establishing a link between the student's background and the language they are about to learn. ...  [Read more]

"British English vs. American English"- the title itself suggests a battle or a contest where only winning matters. In many ways, this is exactly what it is. It is a silent struggle for domination that is mainly fought in the halls of academia where dictionaries and encyclopaedias are the weapons of war and the generals are professors. Why has this happened? Its human nature to be competitive and ?survival of the fittest? is one of the most well known phrases in the world; regardless as to which continent you are on. When the continents involved are two of the worlds? superpowers, the sayings ?God save the Queen? and ?God bless America? take on a whole new meaning. There are many differences between American English (AmE) and British English (BrE). These...  [Read more]

  Some and Any are two words that often cause confusion, which is why we have decided to take a closer look at the difference of the two words in this video. Firsly, some is a determiner used for positive statements while any is a determiner used in questions and negative statements. Consider the following situation: I asked the teacher if he could give me some paper. I said ‘Excuse me, have you got any paper?’ Unfortunately, he didn’t have any. The first statement is positive and therefore requires us to use some. The second sentence is a question and therefore, we need to use any. The third and final sentence is a negative statement which also requries us to use any. It's worth noting that we do sometimes use some in questions and we also use any in positive statements. For...  [Read more]

  Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. it seems to me vocabulary and language albeit they say grammar in the unit are interwoven. yes they did use the tree branch leaf analogy - but I think the tributary mainstream seaway is a better one. I liked this unit. it actually steered you into the meat of the course. look as far as I am concerned people like me who speak english fluently have difficulties with the tenses and other stuff. even the unit...  [Read more]

The two of us spent 2 years in Indonesia (1996-97) teaching English at a university. Prior to that we spent one year learning Indonesian in classes in Australia. We therefore, have a good insight into the difficulties both with English speakers learning Indonesian and of Indonesian speakers learning English with is the two sides of the same coin. We also found that linguistic problems seemed to be inevitable be bound up in cultural ones on both sides of the fence. Let us look at some of these problems.Before we went to Indonesia we were introduced to people who had already been there (in fact the town of Salatiga). The English teachers/missionaries that we spoke to seemed blind to any difference in culture however, and this cultural blindness operates on both sides as we...  [Read more]

It is common knowledge that learning grammar can be a complex process. However, learning vocabulary is not as simple as many assume it to be. And retaining it for a lifetime is not simple at all. One model for learning new vocabulary consists of five stages. Having sources for encountering new words, receiving a visual and auditory image of the word, learning meaning, making memory connections to strengthen recollection and finally, using the words. In many instances, the teacher is given mandatory books and lesson materials to use as resources. Since the final stage of using the words is the result of the middle three stages, those are precisely the stages the teacher should focus on. The author recommends synonym usage to assist in the learning of new ...  [Read more]

  Have you ever considered completing an online TEFL/TESOL Certification course? Why not become one of the hundreds of people who each month do an online course with ITTT, just like Sacha from the United States. In this TESOL review video Sacha talks about her happy experience of studying the 120 hour tutor support course. She talks about how the course has given her a firm foundation on which to build her career as a successful English language teacher. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each...  [Read more]

  Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. Events and dates are set in order of their happening, which is expressed by English speakers through verb tenses. Each tense indicates the connection between two or more time periods or the exact time an activity occurred, which underlines the importance of English grammar tenses. They can be used to create different meanings from the same verbs and help to anchor the listener to understand the meaning behind...  [Read more]

The use of songs in the ESL classroom can be a fun and innovative way of covering a range of English language topics. Songs can be used for vocabulary, grammar, dictation, pronunciation (stress and intonation), phonetics, speaking, writing, listening, integrative skills, and many other ESL points. Furthermore, songs can invite the non-native speaker into the English speaking culture. For instance, pop music gives the learner a taste of what is trendy at the moment. Meanwhile, the lyrics to classic rock songs can give a sense of history and the attitude of the country at the time of recording (for example, 'Give Peace a Chance,' John Lennon, 1969). Additionally, children's songs are crucially important for the young learner...  [Read more]

The use of songs in the ESL classroom can be a fun and innovative way of covering a range of English language topics. Songs can be used for vocabulary, grammar, dictation, pronunciation (stress and intonation), phonetics, speaking, writing, listening, integrative skills, and many other ESL points. Furthermore, songs can invite the non-native speaker into the English speaking culture. For instance, pop music gives the learner a taste of what is trendy at the moment. Meanwhile, the lyrics to classic rock songs can give a sense of history and the attitude of the country at the time of recording (for example, ?Give Peace a Chance,? John Lennon, 1969). Additionally, children?s songs are crucially important for the young...  [Read more]

  There are certain instances where we tend to use the passive voice instead of the active voice. This is true when the agent is unknown or unimportant. We also use the passive voice to change focus or to conceal the agent. Find out more about this topic in this video. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This unit covered the idea of how to arrange a study phase, and the key things students need to be able to do with the language. They must be able...  [Read more]

"British English vs. American English"€™- the title itself suggests a battle or a contest where only winning matters. In many ways, this is exactly what it is. It is a silent struggle for domination that is mainly fought in the halls of academia where dictionaries and encyclopaedias are the weapons of war and the generals are professors. Why has this happened' Its human nature to be competitive and ‘survival of the fittest’ is one of the most well known phrases in the world; regardless as to which continent you are on. When the continents involved are two of the worlds’ superpowers, the sayings "€˜God save the Queen"€™ and "€˜God bless America"€™ take on a whole new meaning.There are many differences between American English (AmE)...  [Read more]

  Mary from the US took the 120-hour TEFL course with tutor support and videos after being recommended the course by her friends who are already teaching. In this TEFL review video, Mary discusses her experience of taking the course. Mary found the course videos to be helpful in presenting the course materials in a more visual way, which helped her to better absorb the information. She also found the tutors to be very responsive to her questions often replying within 24 hours. One of the main benefits of the course was that Mary was able to study in her own time enabling her to fit study around her job. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that...  [Read more]

  In this TESOL review video Juhee tells us about her experience with ITTT. Juhee took the 120-hour online TESOL course with ITTT and really enjoyed her time. Although initially confident that her English speaking ability meant that she didn’t need to take a course to learn how to teach, she soon discovered the importance of earning a qualification in teaching English. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. Until I went through this unit I did...  [Read more]

Here I was, waiting to teach a 'Lets Learn English' session with the Pacific and Asian newcomers to Australia. I was to continue the conversational English lessons with them. The attendees were looking forward to the class. I could tell this by the enthusiasm in their greeting as they arrived and by their hunger to learn in previous sessions. What's more we were having fun as we journeyed into the English language together. What's the biggest problem these students have I thought' The simple answer is 'the peculiarities of the English language, or more specifically'words. So what are words anyway' They're just sounds or noises that we utter after all. Unlike lower animals we may not bark neigh, moo, roar, purr or growl, but we do react instinctively to what's happening around...  [Read more]

Vocabulary is a set of words known to a person that are part of a specific language. The set of words are used by a person to construct a sentence and a form of communication needed to interact with another person. Increasing one´s vocabulary is considered to be an important part of both learning a language and improving one´s skills in a language. According to the National Reading Panel, to develop vocabulary, students should be taught both specific words and word-learning strategies. Familiarizing students with vocabulary rich in contexts provided by authentic texts, rather than an isolated vocabulary drill, it can produce a stronger vocabulary learning experience. Knowing vocabulary goes beyond definitional knowledge; it gets the students actively engaged in using and...  [Read more]

There are many different methods to teach grammar, but this essay will present the three that might be the most effective in retaining student interest. 1.Situational Presentations2.Text and Recordings3.Test Teach Test 1.Teaching grammar via Situational Presentation In order for grammar to have meaning, it needs to be placed within a context. For instance the preposition 'beside' has no meaning to a student unless it's placed within a context. Using a model sentence such as the 'The bread is beside the toaster' gives the word a basic context. Situational presentation refines the context and thus the meaning by building a 'situation' around the model sentence. It can be presented in three stages with the following example of teaching prepositions based on an airplane ride.Stage...  [Read more]

'Idiom: groups of two or more words that taken together mean something different from the literal meaning of the individual words. Slang: informal speech that is outside conventional or standard usage and consists both of coined words and phrases and of new or extended meanings attached to established terms.' For a more specific definition we can look to http://en.wikipedia.org/wik, which offers the following detailed account of the two terms.Idiom: 'An idiom is an expression (i.e. term or phrase) whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definitions and the arrangement of its parts, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through conventional use. In linguistics, idioms are figures of speech that contradict the principle of compositionality.'Common...  [Read more]

Idiom: groups of two or more words that taken together mean something different from the literal meaning of the individual words. Slang: informal speech that is outside conventional or standard usage and consists both of coined words and phrases and of new or extended meanings attached to established terms.? For a more specific definition we can look to http://en.wikipedia.org/wik, which offers the following detailed account of the two terms. Idiom: ?An idiom is an expression (i.e. term or phrase) whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definitions and the arrangement of its parts, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through conventional use. In linguistics, idioms are figures of speech that contradict the principle of...  [Read more]

Navigating Through a Foreign-Language-Classroom: Non-Verbal Vocalics Teaching in a foreign country and to students that do not understand English poses as a tedious endeavor. Innately we as humans tend to gravitate towards people like ourselves, thus when a TEFL teacher enters a classroom full of students from a different culture the work that is entailed to teach is abundant. Not only must the teacher propose a lesson, they must also embark on communicating with their students. Nevertheless that communication is of utmost difficulty; not only are the students from a different culture, they also speak a different language. Therefore, a sense of understanding must arise between the student and the teacher? lack of language. Consequently the communication that goes on...  [Read more]