English Esl Online

  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. When I finished my reading of the lesson material, I had been attempting to clarify my understanding of past perfect continuous tenses for far longer than then the time spent contemplating other tenses. At the moment I understood past perfect continuous tenses, I had already reached a workable understanding of past perfect tenses – and was reaching an understanding of past continuous tenses.↵↵The...  [Read more]

  Our next category in our series of teaching special groups in ESL is English for specific purposes. This video focuses specifically on teaching business English. How is business Enligsh different to general English? Will you be able to teach business English? Find out 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. Unit Two focused on the grammatical aspects of speech. It is clear that grammar will be one of the toughest topics to teach, in my...  [Read more]

In a traditional English language classroom the student’s curriculum focuses on grammar, reading, vocabulary and rigid repetitive drills. The majority of students I have spoken with find this method to be very dull and boring. If students are not interested in the subject being taught they will lack attention and motivation to learn the language. Language is used primarily to communicate with other people. What is the best method to learn a language' Throughout history people have played games to socialize and interact with each other. Therefore it seems reasonable to assume that playing games in a language classroom can only be beneficial.What does a game consist of' I think that games involve play, competition, rules, and enjoyment. The Merriam – Webster online dictionary...  [Read more]

Quite often, the terms English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) are used interchangeably to describe English language instruction to non-native speakers. However, it is becoming increasingly more well known that the two contexts are quite different, demanding the teacher approach and execute different teaching methodologies in the classes. In an ESL setting, the class is likely to be multilingual and be completely immersed in the language by living in the culture of the target language. On the other hand, in the EFL setting, the class is typically monolingual and living in their own country (Brown 2001).In Teaching by principles, author H. Douglas Brown explains that 'it is useful to consider the pedagogical implications for a continuum of contexts...  [Read more]

The topic of teacher accents in the ESL classroom is much debated. I am sure most teachers can relate to a story or experience. In South Korea, like many Asian countries there is a strong focus on the 'American English'. All listening tapes, dialogues, transcripts and texts use American linguistics and accents. Even the international TOEIC and TEFL tests for a long time were using American accents. As a New Zealand citizen being strongly advised to develop an American accent can be hard to comprehend.Kachru 1986 writes 'what actually happens is that language and power go together. American English is accepted for the power and superiority which America as a nation has acquired in the areas of science, technology, commerce, military affairs and politics'. I tend to agree and further more...  [Read more]

Students of English as a foreign language can possibly face a multitude of problems, many of which will be of the same nature for all nationalities. However, different countries will each throw up their own set of specific problems for learners. Having taught all ages/ class sizes and for all purposes in Korea, I have noticed and begun the process of resolving at least, several country specific problems. In Korea, as indeed with many Asian countries, the primary problem arises with beginner learners, of a different alphabet. Learning English must begin first with letter recognition which is entirely different from that of their own language. Although many sounds are similar, the English alphabet does introduce a number of letters unheard of in the Korean alphabet. As will be discussed...  [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. Tests are essential for gauging a student’s progress and sporadic tests are excellent for keeping students on their toes. Rather than assessing how well they fare, it is much more important to let students be aware of the lessons they have learned before. Many students would chuck their books aside after class and only attend for the lesson. An occasional reminder is useful for them to know what they are...  [Read more]

Home > Tefl Jobs For an EFL teacher with an internationally recognized TEFL certificate job prospects are excellent. The huge desire to learn English in all corners of the globe has resulted in teaching possibilities in almost every country imaginable. There are openings in private language institutes, public schools, universities, business corporations, kindergartens as well as private tutoring and voluntary work. International TEFL & TESOL Training will help you at every step of the way to find a suitable teaching position. Our service extends, but is not limited, to: For details of teaching conditions around the world, click on the region of your choice below (please note that political and economic circumstances change frequently and this information is intended as a guide...  [Read more]

  This video focuses on some of the problems teachers of business English might encounter. How is business Enligsh different to general English? Will you be able to teach business English? Find out 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 is about Teaching and Learning. I learnt about different developmental theories such as the constructivists, the environmentalists and the maturationists. Also, i learnt about how to adopt an approach...  [Read more]

  There are many different types of groups of students that you will encounter when teaching English as a foreign language. This video introduces you to the five different types of student groups. 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 has identified how to effectively use verbal and non-verbal communication in a classroom setting. It also recognized different student grouping (with its advantages and disadvantages) and classroom arrangement suitable...  [Read more]

  There are some general Do's and Don'ts that need to be considered when teaching business English. Watch this video to get more insight into teaching this special group of learners. 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. Vocabulary and function are two aspects of English that should be taught as essential elements of the language. Though grammar is important, these aspects provide the contexts where language communication happens. Introducing the various...  [Read more]

"Global English" in a sociolinguistic context refers almost literally to the use of English as a global language http://www.english.ucsb.edu/faculty/rraley/research/global- English.html. The English language as a global language has proved itself to be taught and learned by people from all across the world. In many countries English is usually taught as second language and there is a big demand for knowledge to speak. TEFL courses will help to create English as a global language by continuing to create in classroom sights around the world, especially in countries where English is only spoken as a second language or not spoken at all.The English language is important for 'science' as it brings efficiency to a subject, but in the scheme of literature, the English language is very hard to...  [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...  [Read more]

There are several differences between British English and American English. The two forms of English differ in ways such as grammar, vocabulary usage and meaning, and spelling. There are many ways that British and American English differ in grammatical means. Generally both forms of grammar are accepted in American English, however in British English the American English version is often considered incorrect. The biggest differences in grammar occur with possession and the present perfect form. An example of the difference in possession between British and American English would be, 'Have you got money'' The British often use the word 'got' when dealing with possession, while in American English they would more commonly say something such as, 'Do you have money'' American English often...  [Read more]

If the addition of the 'one-millionth word' to the English language is any indication of its ever growing popularity and immense power, then it's safe to say that this language has indeed come a long way from its modest inception to the burgeoning behemoth that it currently manifests itself in worldwide. The research article I chose to write is based on the two hotly contested arguments (for and against) the English becoming the undisputed world wide language. I read the following articles:(1) http://www.languagemonitor.com/Global_English.html by Neil Reynolds, The Globe and Mail, March 24, 2006(2) http://www.langedizioni.com/varie/aggiornadid/bettinelli_bc06/globish .ppt#1 power point presentation by Dr. Barbara Bettinelli to generate the following results:The world according to...  [Read more]

English is the 'trade language' of the world'used in over 135 countries to communicate business transactions and international politics. Around 1 billion people in the world speak English. As of the year 2000, 750 million people, 350 million of whom speak it daily, were said to speak English. Millions of world citizens are now using what has been coined, 'Offshore English', to conduct business with other speakers of English as a second language. It has become evident after many failed business deals that native speakers of English must adapt their language to better suit their overseas colleagues.One example of an unsuccessful business venture due to miscommunication is found on Using English.com, in an article titled, 'What is Offshore English'' The article offers an anecdote about South...  [Read more]

“English is used in 80% of the world´s international business communication and most of the world´s trade and financial dealing.”(1)Although I have no experience of teaching English as a second / foreign / additional language, I have enjoyed the ITTT course (2) enormously. I have no immediate plans to put my new knowledge into action – but at some point I hope to teach adults – potentially within a business or professional setting.Business English is a rapidly growing part of the TEFL sector – and requires some basic and some more significant modifications to the generic TEFL methodologies. Increasingly, Business English (BE) is becoming differentiated into ‘English for Specific Purposes’ - for example – “Hotel Reception Language...  [Read more]

1.IntroductionWhen teaching English worldwide, one has to consider that there are two major dialects: The British (BrE) and the North American (AmE). A decision should be made by any responsible teacher as to which he or she teaches. A reason to adopt the AmE form could be teaching students for tourism jobs, because of the larger number of US- American tourists there are compared to British ones, while the BrE dialect might be preferable for business students because it is still considered an advantage in some work areas.In the following article we will go through some of the most common differences. However, the interested reader should consult the sources indicated in the annex when willing to obtain a capacity of consistent teaching of either of the two.2.GrammarApart from "drillable"...  [Read more]

The English language first came to America, when it was colonised by the British Empire in the late 16th century. Other parts of the world were also colonised by the British Empire, which by 1921 had dominion over 470 to 570 million people, which equated to about one quarter of the world´s population. In the last 400 years, the diversity between the English spoken in the Britsh Isles and the United States, has continued to grow. This has brought about the two dialects known as British English, and American English.The differences between the two dialects include punctuation, grammer, spelling, pronounciation and the formatting of dates and numbers. There are some words which are used in one version of English, but not in another. There are other words which might have two completely...  [Read more]

With the changing nature of the world today learning English is becoming more and more important in the business sector. As such, numbers of people from non English speaking backgrounds, specifically, business men and women, to learn English that is appropriate in a business environment is increasing exponentially. Globalisation of the macro environment of business means there is an increseasing need for there to be one international language for businesses and more importantly, business people to communicate in. Companies are changing from being national to multi national and global. The are also seeking to outsource certain functions within their business structure to attempt to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. With enormous differences in labour costs globally, there are...  [Read more]

The English language was created in England. Throughout history, this language has spread to many parts of the world. It is used as a link language for International business and diplomacy.According to Madhukar N. Gate, it has taken thousands of words from other languages such as French, Latin, German, Greek and so on. We can even find Sanskrit words in English. For example: Guru and Pundit are two Sanskrit words used in English. English grammar is quite simple, in many languages nouns have grammatical gender which makes some verbs and adjectives change. This doesn't happen in English. The adjective 'big' is used with all nouns such as man, woman, child, book etc, as well as applying to both singular and plural nouns.Counting large numbers in English is very simple. For example,...  [Read more]

The English language is undisputedly one of the most challenging languages to learn, predominantly due to the vast number of inconsistencies and frequent irregularities and exceptions to the rule (am almost clichéd term).English, like all languages, is constantly developing and evolving – it is not fixed, and not unlike to physical environment, is being subjected to an increasing number of changes (possible the result of increasing globalization). Historically, England was the birthplace of English – it has, however, spread widely, and not exactly, to many parts of the world. As language spreads, words become altered, words become are added, and possibly most frequently – words are lost. One only needs to read Shakespeare to appreciate that language is alive and...  [Read more]

Language and culture are inextricable extensions of each other. As globalization increasingly homogenizes mainstream culture worldwide, it follows, too, that a single language would complementarily spread across the globe. That language is English, which, although it does not have the largest number of speakers (that would be Mandarin Chinese), it is the most widely spoken language throughout the world (Wallraff, 2000).While many are familiar with the fact that English is spoken around the world, not as many are aware of the intense debate revolving around what the language's future direction should be. Some wish to spread English to every corner of the globe, believing that if everyone could communicate in the same language, then we could essentially achieve world peace and equality...  [Read more]

The English language is spoken in many countries throughout the world. In this modern day, "global society," the English language is used as the common language for international communication. As a result, English is well on its way to becoming the dominant global language. (1) As a result, people of all nationalities are obliged to learn English as a second language. However, pronunciation of the English language by people of different nationalities is varied the world over. On closer inspection, it appears that different nationalities have their own unique pronunciation problems. This is because English words often contain sounds (or phonemes) that are unique to the English language. The native language spoken in a particular country can effect the English language learner´s ability...  [Read more]

While teaching English as a foreign language it is very important that the teacher or instructor take on board the cultural differences and discrepancies that occur between different societies. As may appear obvious, teaching English in Asia will be significantly different to teaching English in the Middle East. This is due to the religious, social and all round societal differences between the regions i.e. the cultural differences. As pointed out by Kenneth Barre in his online article, cultural differences from a teacher's standpoint can affect a variety of key teaching planning, methodology and structure. Cultural Differences Affects: 'What students expect to hear in a conversation 'Vocabulary and set phrases students try to use 'Degrees of formality / informality 'Literal translations...  [Read more]

'Globalization is not a trend or a fad. It is the international system'that will, and do[es], affect everyone's country, and everyone's company, and everyone's community, either directly or indirectly.' Thomas Friedman made this statement at The Foreign Policy Association's World Leadership Forum in the year 2000. And it's true. The reality of this statement has, for example, resulted in more than 30,000 McDonald's restaurants in 119 countries, serving nearly 50 million customers every day. But how did a quaint restaurant from San Bernardino, California (and many, many others like it) come to have such a global reach' Well, a large part has to do with technology (the Internet, in particular). But the English Language seems to be taking on a central role, in that it's widely being adopted...  [Read more]

The notion that English is a global language rests on fairly substantial ground since it is used officially and unofficially throughout the world. Linguist David Graddol estimates in a report to the British Council that '500 million to one billion speak English now as either a first or second language,' and 'there could be two billion new (my italics) speakers of English within a decade.' Jacques L'vy, a native speaker of French who studies globalism at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, states 'It's a lost cause to try to fight against the tide. It could have been another [global] language; it was Greek, then Latin, French, now it is English.' In the United States today a heated debate over Mexican immigration has triggered a move toward making English its official language with...  [Read more]

Wherever one travels in the world these days English quickly becomes the the common language of communication between different nationalities. This was a trend that began during the days of the British Empire with it''s global trade and political network. The process has accelerated dramatically since the end of the Second World War with the rise of the American world hegemony. ''A language becomes a world language for one reason only, the power of the people who speak it. Power means political, economic technological and cultural power of course.'' ( Crystall.D. 2001).More recently technology has made a huge impact in the form of satellite T.V. and the internet in particular, giving fresh impetus to the movement for English as the dominant second language of choice. According to the...  [Read more]

The English language is spoken now by many countries around the world, according to the (English Department) website, www.the.englishdep.tripod.com, it is said that 75 countries speak English and that is equal to around 375 million people and another 750 million speak English as a second language also scientist say that 80 percent of the worlds information is stored in English and also that out of the 40 million users on the internet daily 80 percent communicate in English. So we see how the English language has taken the world by storm. But that brings us to the often discussed issue, “Which English is the best English to use for a foreign student, “American English (AmE) or British English (BrE).” In order to find out which is better per se, we must first look at the...  [Read more]

Introduction English is today the dominant international language in most parts of the world. It is spoken by an estimated 300-400 million people as a native language and by an estimated two billion people as a second language. It is by far the most widely taught and understood language in the world. The use of English in so many parts of the world by so many people has inevitably produced a number of national and regional variations. For historical and political reasons, the most commonly used variations are British and American English. These variations should not be understood as unvaryingly homogeneous dialects, as many regional differences can be observed within them. Nevertheless, one may say that there is a standard version of British English and a standard version of American...  [Read more]