Archive | Pronunciation

The importance of effective pronunciation cannot be stressed enough. When communication takes place between listener and speaker understanding too has been accomplished. Much misunderstanding can be avoided when clear and correct pronunciation is used in conversation.

If I Could Turn Back Time: Strategy for Listening to This Song

Use this song to practice If + could, + would



Step 1: Listen to the song. Don't look at the lyrics so close your eyes.
Step 2: Answer these questions:

What does “turn back time” mean? Why does the singer want to turn
back time?

Step 3: Listen to the song again and read the lyrics as you listen. (see below)

Step 4: Think about If + could, + would. These two words are called modal
auxiliaries. When a sentence starts with if it's called a conditional
sentence. When if is followed by could, it shows that the event is not
likely to happen. We use this kind of sentence when we want to talk
about imaginary future events. (unreal conditional)

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Prosody is Unity

Prosody happens when pitch, loudness, tempo and rhythm work together.


Prosody is unity. The ancient Greek critic Aristotle first expressed the concept of prosodyThis is when all the elements work together to support the central message of the statement. When we use pitch, loudness, tempo and rhythm in speech, they work together to convey information about the meaning of an utterance.

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Teaching is About Caring and Sharing

Oaklands Elementary School

Oaklands Elementary School

Teaching is one of the most rewarding activities I have experienced in my life. Over the years I have taught a variety of subjects but English as a Second Language is one field that I find I relate to most closely.

I grew up in a household where my first language was Estonian. I clearly remember the day my mother took me by the hand to a big red brick building.  I was five and my sixth birthday was right around the corner. Leaving me to sit alone in the hallway within hearing range of the school principal's office, I could hear my mother arguing with him.  At the time I didn't understand the words but I knew my mother was very adamant about something.  Years later I realized she was speaking in her broken English determined to have me to go into kindergarten rather than grade one.

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