Tesol Vs Tefl Vs Toefl

  "They're", "their" and "there" are three words that are often used incorrectly. "They're" is simply the contracted form of "they are". "Their" is a possessive and indicates ownership of something. "There" indicates a place. Due to the Internet and instant messaging, the three words have been icreasingly used incorrectly. However, if you'd like to use them correctly, you should keep their meanings in mind. When trying to decide which word to use remember that "they're" = they are, "their" = ownership and "there" = place. 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...  [Read more]

  In this video Linda explains the differences between "assure", "insure" and "ensure". They not only sound similar, but those three words also make an outcome sure but they are in no way interchangeable. "Assure" is used to speak out a promise or say something with confidence, for example "I assure you that he is a great lawyer". "Ensure" is used to make something certain, such as here: "Please ensure that you will be home at five o'clock today"."Insure" means to protect an object against risk by buying an insurance policy from an insurance company, like here: "I insure my television because it was expensive". Once you have realized the three different meanings and usages, there is no way you'll confuse them again. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one...  [Read more]

  The three words lightening, lightning and lighting are easily confused by English learners and even native speakers. Let's take a look at the differences. Lightening is the present participle of the verb to lighten describing the action of making something less heavy. A good example would be "I was lightening the load on my horse because it was exhausted." Lightning refers to a streak of static electricity through the sky usually accompanied by thunder, as here "I was struck by lightning while playing golf in a storm." Lighting is the arrangement of light especially in photography. A suitable example for this would be "The photo was dull because the lighting wasn't good enough". Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL...  [Read more]

  In this video Linda breaks down the difference between "look", "see" and "watch". The differences surrounding these three words can be quite difficult to understand for non-native English learners. However, this video looks at the three words in detail breaking down exactly how to differentiate between them. 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 14 is about different ways of evaluating students'levels and progress.There are a number of...  [Read more]

When I first decided that traveling and perhaps teaching abroad, were things that I would be interested in; I came across my first real challenge that came in the form of a decision- ' [w]hich is better, EFL or ESL''. After reading through the various websites, I came to the conclusion that there was in fact, no difference between the two. I arrived at this conclusion, impart, because whenever I saw them listed on the web, let's say for jobs for instance, that they would invariably be shown together, e.g. 'EFL/ESL Teachers needed.' So, I've decided to write my essay on the difference between the two, not only because I have to, but to also answer the question whose true answer has eluded me up until this point. According to James W. Porcaro, the author of Functional grammar...  [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. The content of this unit was concise and I believe it is essential for everyone to understand this subject, teacher or not. It is not something we think about all the time and it will probably happen automatically once a person manages to grasp the basics. Since parts of speech was a subject I did at school in my mother language, I never had any big issues with the concepts in English, but I'm not sure how...  [Read more]

When I first decided that traveling and perhaps teaching abroad, were things that I would be interested in; I came across my first real challenge that came in the form of a decision- ? [w]hich is better, EFL or ESL??. After reading through the various websites, I came to the conclusion that there was in fact, no difference between the two. I arrived at this conclusion, impart, because whenever I saw them listed on the web, let?s say for jobs for instance, that they would invariably be shown together, e.g. ?EFL/ESL Teachers needed.? So, I?ve decided to write my essay on the difference between the two, not only because I have to, but to also answer the question whose true answer has eluded me up until this point. According to James W. Porcaro, the author of Functional ...  [Read more]

Rapid globalisation has developed the need to find a common means of international communication. Throughout modern history English has been the language for most of the worlds economic, political and scientific leaders. Now-a-days if any non-English speaking country want to communicate outside its borders then English is usually the language of choice. To meet the demand of teaching non-English speakers, many language courses have been developed e.g. TEFEL, TESOL etc. These courses have to meet demand in many different situations one of which being multi-lingual and mono-lingual classes. Multi--lingual classes consist of students speaking different languages and are most often found in English speaking countries where students have come with an aim to learn English. ...  [Read more]

  In this video, Linda explains the difference between "then" and "than" two words often confused by native and non-native English speakers alike. "Than" is a conjunction used for comparisons, such as here: "Her car is faster than yours". "Then", on the other hand, is an adverb used to situate actions e.g. "I did my homework, then I had a nap?. As you can see, the usages of the two words is very different and cannot be used interchangeably. Keep their differences in mind and you'll not make any mistakes in the future. 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...  [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]

One of the more noticeable differences between students on the TEFL course is the different uses of the English language. The main differences being between the British and American English. On area that I thought could have become confusing when teaching would be the pronunciation of different words by different English speakers. As a rule it is generally agreed amongst English teaching programs that neither type of pronunciation is the correct version however they do insist on consistence of usage. So when a person starts to teach in British English using relevant terms they should maintain that throughout. Grammatically both types of the language follow the same rules. However there are variations? of form words that are used. For example the past participle for...  [Read more]

One of the more noticeable differences between students on the TEFL course is the different uses of the English language. The main differences being between the British and American English. On area that I thought could have become confusing when teaching would be the pronunciation of different words by different English speakers. As a rule it is generally agreed amongst English teaching programs that neither type of pronunciation is the correct version however they do insist on consistence of usage. So when a person starts to teach in British English using relevant terms they should maintain that throughout. Grammatically both types of the language follow the same rules. However there are variations’ of form words that are used. For example the past participle for the...  [Read more]

  In this video, we focus on the difference between the usage of "do" and "make". We use the verb 'do' when someone performs an action, activity or task. Some common expression with 'do' include : do a crossword, do the ironing, do your job, do the dishes, and do homework. We also use the verb 'do' when referring to things in general and to describe an action without saying exactly what the action is. In this case, 'do' is often used with the words 'something, nothing, anything, everything, for example ' I'm not doing anything today', or ' He does everything for his wife'.There are also a number of fixed expressions that always take the verb 'do', such as: do badly, do business, do a favor, do good, and do harm, just to name a few. On the other hand, we use the verb...  [Read more]

  "Your" and "you're" often get confused, not only by English learners around the world but also by many native English speakers. Let's break it down. "Your" is a possessive adjective that indicates ownership, while "you're" is simply the contraction of "you are". Let's take a look at this example sentence: Your grades are great this semester. In this case, we use 'your' as we use it to indicate ownership. You're the best student in the entire school! This example require us to use 'you're' because it is the short form for 'you are'. Should you not be sure which one to use, think about if you want to express ownership or of you want to say "you are". Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online...  [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...  [Read more]

  This video covers the difference between 'in' and 'at' when used to indicate a location. They often cause confusion for English learners as they both refer to a location in a sentence. However, 'in', as a preposition of place, is usually used to talk about the position of someone or something inside large places such as countries, continents, big cities and similar, while 'at' is used to refer the position of someone or something inside small and unimportant places such as villages or small towns. 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...  [Read more]

  Before we move on to the planning of a lesson for speaking skills, something that we need to look at first is the idea of the accuracy versus the fluency of speaking. Accuracy relates to the correct usage of grammar and vocabulary, whereas fluency relates to our ability to continue speaking without any interruption. Now, ultimately within a whole ESA lesson or within language learning itself fluency and accuracy are equally important. Within an ESA lesson, however, depending upon which stage we're at in that lesson, then we're either focusing on accuracy or we're focusing on fluency. Remember in the ESA lesson, in the study phase, this is where we're looking at the target language where we're doing our language learning, so it's very important in this stage that we focus on the...  [Read more]

  In this video we take a look at the difference between "me" and "I". While they are often used without a problem in normal sentences, they are often used incorrectly in certain situations. For example, in the sentence "can you send the report to Ian and I" the use of "I" is incorrect. It should be "can you send the report to Ian and me" The reason for this is that "I" is a subject pronoun and ?me" is an object pronoun. If you remove Ian from the sentence, it becomes clear that the use of "I" is wrong. You would not say ?can you send the report to I" but you would say "can you send the report to me?". This is an easy trick to see which of the two is the correct one. Watch the video and give it a try. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their...  [Read more]

  This video covers the difference between 'If I were' and 'If I was' as their usage is often confused. 'If I was' is used for things that could have happened in the past or now, for example: If I was rude, I apologize. 'If I were', however, is used when we speak about imaginary situations or things that are contrary to fact, such as here: If I were a dog, I would sleep all day. 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 a lot of...  [Read more]

  "Who" and "whom" are another set of words that often causes confusion. Howeer, there is actuall a simple trick to deciding which one to use in a sentence. "Who" is used to refer to the subject of a sentence and 'whom' is used to refer to the object. Keeping this in mind will eliminate the chance of making mistakes. We recommend the following trick. The usage of these two words is the same as he and him. "He" is the subject and "him" is the object. If you are confused about which one you should use, look at the sentences and check whether "he" or "him" should be used. If it's "he", then you should use "who". If it's "him", then "whom" should be used. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our...  [Read more]

When you walk into a classroom of beginning learners, you will quickly notice that the activities are varied, exciting, and typically short lived, in hopes to keep the attention of the energized and full of life students. Young learners demand fun mingled with learning. It would be impossible to give a lecture to a child. However, on the contrary, an adult can tolerate a lecture granted that within seven minutes, their minds will drift to some other thought. Yes, all people prefer an entertaining lesson that will engrave the concept upon their minds however amusing lessons aren’t always time manageable nor profitable while dealing with a grander scale of information. Adults can endure lectures and retain information while young learners can’t as easily.However,...  [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...  [Read more]

Stephen Krashen differentiates between the concepts of language acquisition and language learning in this way: He likens the process of language acquisition to adolescents and young adults living outside of their native country in a year long exchange program where they attain near native fluency but remain unfamiliar with phonology and/or grammar rules. He links the concept of language learning to the traditional approach of teachers/students in classrooms with specific focus on structure and grammar rules. Krashen summarizes, “Language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules, and does not require tedious drill.” He further states, “Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language-natural communication-in...  [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...  [Read more]

  In this video we explain the difference between 'compliment' and 'complement'. Both used as a verb and a noun, 'compliment' expresses something nice about someone, for example: I complimented my brother on his delicious cooking. In this example, the word 'compliment' is used as a verb. Let's take a look at a sentence where it is used as a noun: I gave my brother a compliment on his delicious cooking. The word "complement" on the other hand is used when two things go well together, or complete each other. The word is especially often used to indicate that two foods go well together. It is also often used in fashion, such as here: 'Her black dress complements her red hair,' or 'That wine complements the fish very well'. This should clear up any confusion. Below you can read...  [Read more]

  This video covers the difference between 'aid' and 'aide'. These two words often cause confusion for English learners due to their similar meaning and spelling. The word 'aid' refers to something that helps, such as teaching aids or a first-aid-kit. The word 'aide', on the other hand, refers to a person, a helper. So, remember that 'aid' is used for things and 'aide' is used for people. 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 this unit, I have...  [Read more]

  This video covers the difference between 'figuratively' and 'literally'. Even native speakers commonly confuse these two words. The word 'figuratively' is used when talking about something metaphorically. 'Literally', on the other hand is used for things that are real or really happen. Watch the video for detailed examples on the two words. 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 explains to the teacher how to expose English as a new...  [Read more]

  This presentation is going to focus on the theories, methods and techniques of teaching and we're going to start with a quote. This is an interesting quotation because it contains within it a philosophical argument and it's a philosophical argument in the way in which we learn. Basically, this one is saying that the intelligence of their own children comes about due to a natural process. So this one could be said to be due to nature. This is exactly the opposite of this one, which is saying that they're teaching the environment that we create, creates that intelligence. So this one can be said to be due to nurture and this argument 'nature versus nurture' has been going on for thousands of years. These two viewpoints are two ends of a scale, or a continuum if you like, and every...  [Read more]

  This video breaks down the difference between the two words "invite" and "invitation". They are often used interchangeably but actually aren't synonyms. The word ?invite? is a verb and refers to the action of asking someone if they?d like to do something or go somewhere, such as here: 'I want to invite all my friends to a BBQ party'. "Invitation", on the other hand, is a noun and refers to the actual message of asking someone if they?d like to do something or go somewhere. A suitable example would be: 'I sent out an invitation to all my friends'. A very common mistake is to use 'invite' as a noun instead of 'invitation'. However, the sentence ?I haven?t responded to her invite yet? is incorrect and 'invitation' should be used. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate...  [Read more]

  This video covers the difference between 'adverse' and 'averse'. As these two words have a similar pronunciation and spelling, their usage is often confused. While they are both adjectives, they have slightly different meanings. 'Adverse', for example, means unfavorable or harmful, while 'averse' means strongly disliking or opposed. Let's take a look at two example sentences: "He listened to no adverse criticism and receded before no obstacle." and "My children are quite averse to the suggestion of having year-round school". Since they are both adjectives, they are always used in combination with the verb 'to be', such as 'is adverse' or 'are averse', or before a noun: 'adverse criticism'. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online...  [Read more]