tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77338232024-02-28T16:28:34.577-05:00TonNet Online - Second Language ResearchUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-65368329964723687612020-04-11T20:39:00.000-04:002020-04-11T20:39:05.140-04:00Ghotit - A SpellChecker to English Language Learners and ELL’s.Have you ever heard of<a href="http://www.ghotit.com/dyslexia-online-spell-check.shtml"> Ghotit</a>? This is a super-spell-checker, ideal for very beginning English Language Learners and ELL’s with learning disabilities (as well as native speakers with challenges). <br />
<br />
It has the ability to help <span style="font-weight: bold;">sleuth-out</span> words that people are trying to spell — in a much more in depth way than most regular spell-checkers.<br />
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Worth to give it a try.<br />
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h/t: <a href="http://speedchange.blogspot.com/2010/08/classroom-changers.html">SpeEdChange</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-52811676236155109752010-03-21T16:17:00.001-04:002020-08-09T15:35:17.986-04:00US vs UK English Language in VideoThis video highlights some of the differences in vocabulary between <a href="http://jeffreyhill.typepad.com/english/2009/02/video-uk-vs-us-english.html">British and American English.</a> The narrator is British but has spent time in the USA.<br />
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<object height="285" width="400"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/HP_g61r06KY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param>
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param>
<embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/HP_g61r06KY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="285"></embed></object><br />
<br />
If you liked this first installment, then you might want to check the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=UK+vs+US+English&search_type=&aq=f">Series.</a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-60709053023316840182009-04-05T14:36:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:34:53.550-04:00There Is Only One Reason Why You Shouldn't BlogBlogs are popular but good ranking blogs and well-read blogs, for that matter, are only a few. Nobody can say that quality count when blogging about any particular subject or niche. However, even when visitors send your posts to StumbleUpon or promote them on Twitter, one thing is capital when we talk about content. Franklin Bishop gives you the <span style="font-style: italic;">7 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Blog</span> but for us, all come to a single one, the most important of all.
<a href="http://franklinbishop.net/7-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-blog/">Do not even start a blog if you are a really bad writer.</a> Period.
"You’re full of wonderful blog post ideas, but you know you are a terrible writer. Unfortunately, no matter how practical and valuable your ideas, <span style="font-weight: bold;">if you cannot write coherently, you shouldn’t blog. </span>Paying someone who can write to a blog for you is an expensive exercise. More importantly, the essence of you simply cannot be portrayed in the same manner. Bite the bullet and learn! Learning to write well will benefit many areas of your business, not just your blog."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-71477359853029294862009-01-31T19:56:00.001-05:002020-08-09T15:33:44.249-04:00Copyblogger 238 Commented Post. Misused Lingo<div style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;">
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<span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;">I</span></div>
We have not to explain the evident difference between a misused and a misspelled word. Bloggers more recognized as "monkey typewriters" do not work under the supervision of an expert as other media outlets do it, a quick look around the web reveals plenty of people is misusing words. Don't fret. Regular ones do, too, included <a href="http://tonnet.blogspot.com/2008/06/journalists-most-misspelled-words.html">journalists.</a><br />
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Some of these words are common mistakes that can cost you when trying to keep a reader’s attention. Here's the <a href="http://www.copyblogger.com/commonly-misused-words/"> Brian Clark suggestion of the 27 most misused words:</a><br />
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<h3>
Adverse / Averse</h3>
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Adverse means unfavorable. Averse means reluctant.<br />
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<h3>
Afterwards</h3>
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Afterwards is wrong in American English. It’s afterward.<br />
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<h3>
Complement / Compliment</h3>
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Complement is something that adds to or supplements something else. Compliment is something nice someone says about you.<br />
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<h3>
Criteria</h3>
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Criteria is plural, and the singular form is criterion. If someone tells you they have only one criteria, you can quickly interject and offer that it be they get a clue.<br />
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<h3>
Farther / Further</h3>
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Farther is talking about a physical distance. Further is talking about an extension of time or degree.<br />
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<h3>
Fewer / Less</h3>
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If you can count it, use fewer. If you can’t, use less.<br />
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<h3>
Historic / Historical</h3>
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Historic means an important event. Historical means something that happened in the past.<br />
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<h3>
Hopefully</h3>
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This word is used incorrectly so much it may be too late. But let’s make you smarter anyway. The old school rule is you use hopefully only if you’re describing the way someone spoke, appeared, or acted.<br />
<ul>Smart: I hope she says yes.<br /> Wrong: Hopefully, she says yes.<br /> Wrong: Hopefully, the weather will be good.<br /> Smart: It is hoped that the weather cooperates.<br /> Smart: She eyed the engagement ring hopefully.</ul>
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<h3>
Imply / Infer</h3>
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Imply means you’re sending a subtle message. To infer means you’re interpreting a message.<br />
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<h3>
Insure / Ensure</h3>
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Insure is correct only when you call up Geico or State Farm for coverage. Ensure means to guarantee, and that’s most often what you’re trying to say, right?<br />
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<h3>
Irregardless</h3>
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Irregardless is not a word. Use regardless or irrespective.<br />
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<h3>
Literally</h3>
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"I’m literally starving to death."<br />
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No, odds are, you’re not.<br />
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Literally means exactly what you say is accurate, no metaphors or analogies. Everything else is figurative (relative, a figure of speech).<br />
<h3>
Premier / Premiere</h3>
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Premier is the first and best in status or importance, or a prime minister. Premiere is the opening night of Star Wars 8: George Wants More Money.<br />
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<h3>
Principal / Principle</h3>
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Principal when used as a noun means the top dog; as an adjective, it means the most important of any set. Principle is a noun meaning a fundamental truth, a law, a rule that always applies, or a code of conduct.<br />
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<h3>
Towards</h3>
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Towards is wrong in American English. It’s toward. I went 41 years not being sure about this one.<br />
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<h3>
Unique</h3>
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Unique means (literally) one of a kind. Saying something is very or truly unique is wacked. It’s either a purple cow or it isn’t.<br />
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<h3>
Who / Whom</h3>
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This one is a lost cause(even for ourlselves, sorry), but let’s go down swinging. The way to deal with the who versus whom quandary is a simple substitution method.<br />
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First, a refresher on subjects and objects.<br />
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Subjects do the action:<br />
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“He/she/we like(s) to rock the house.”<br />
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Objects receive the action:<br />
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“The rock star sneered at him/her/us.”<br />
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Use who for subjects and whom for objects.<br />
<ul>Subjects:<br /> Who wrote this blog post?<br /> Who is speaking at the conference?<br /> Who is going to clean up this mess?<br />Objects:<br /> Whom are you going to write about?<br /> Whom did he blame for the Google Slap?<br /> Whom did he bait for the links?</ul>
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Truth is, whom just doesn’t sound right in many situations where it’s correct, especially in the US. You now know the rule… feel free to break it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-14061032967875477922008-12-29T10:26:00.000-05:002020-08-09T15:33:27.657-04:006 Steps to Write A Post in Only 10 Minutes!<span style="font-style: italic;">"The key to writing fast is knowing and perfecting a few."</span>
Alisa Brownan from <a href="http://www.projecthappilyeverafter.com/">projecthappilyeverafter</a> says to be a newspaper reporter, write guest blogs and magazine articles, and she ghost and co-author books. She also claims to spend only 6-7 hours typing daily to write between 5,000 and 10,000 words a week!
Article first appeared on problogger.net and if you like what Brownan advice, then follow her @<a href="http://www.twitter.com/alisabow">alisabow:</a>
<u>Here the 6 step system, experienced Alisa Brownan uses to write her articles quite fast:</u>
<span style="font-style: italic;">Step 1:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Know what you want to say before you sit down. </span>As soon as you finish any blog, start thinking about your next one. Go over lines in your head.
<span style="font-style: italic;">Step 2:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick the basic format you will use to organize your blog.</span> Most blogs fall into one of the following organizational templates:
<ul><li>Q & A – Someone poses a question and then you answer it.</li>
<li>Tips: You start with a couple paragraphs of explanation followed by a list of tips.</li>
<li>Story: Once upon a time something happened to me, I learned someone from it, and now we’re at the end.</li>
<li>List: This might be a list of great websites, great books, or great people to follow on Twitter. This is where we fail way, way too much.</li>
<li>Quiz or Test: You pose a series of questions or offer a check-off list that allows the reader to figure something out</li></ul>
<span style="font-style: italic;">Step 3:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Start writing and don’t stop until there are no words left in your head. Don’t stop for typos. Don’t stop for grammar. Don’t stop because you lose your train of thought.</span> Insert quick notes as you write, such as CHECK NAME SPELLING, FIND URL, or WHAT IS THE WORD I WANT HERE? I use that last one quite frequently.
<span style="font-style: italic;">Step 4:</span> Read your blog from beginning to end. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fill in holes.</span> Tinker. Replace your all caps notes with real text.
<span style="font-style: italic;">Step 5:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Read out loud once or twice. </span>This will help you catch typos, pinpoint really awkward writing, and help you tighten things up.
<span style="font-style: italic;">Step 6</span>: Post it!
<span style="font-style: italic;">Via <a href="http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/12/30/how-to-write-fast/"> Problogger</a>
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-34716304015642269172008-12-16T19:05:00.000-05:002020-08-09T15:32:51.386-04:00Funny List of the Most Misprounounced English WordsAn interesting list of 51 mispronounced words it's been posted by <span style="font-style: italic;">DailyWritingTips.</span> A the moment we write this post, <a href="http://www.dailywritingtips.com/50-incorrect-pronunciations-that-make-you-look-dumb/#comments">comments number by 297,</a> from people who have contributed to the list or have made appreciations on the topic. There is a word of caution, though: "I’m writing from an American perspective" says DailyWritingTips.
At least one of these is, in our view, a lost cause: #21 the two pronunciations of <span style="font-style: italic;">forte.</span> We’ve never heard any English-speaker use it to mean 'strong point' and pronounce it according to French rules — everyone we’ve ever heard pronounces it the Italian way. If you want to get really picky, <a href="http://dialogicmediation.com/2008/12/09/a-list-of-51-mispronounced-words/">the masculine form of the French adjective is 'fort'</a> — if it should be pronounced in English according to French rules, then how come English has adopted its feminine form 'forte'? Reasons are lost in the mists of time — let’s just get on with it!
1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">aegis</span> - The ae in this word is pronounced /ee/. Say EE-JIS/, not /ay-jis/. In mythology the “aegis” is associated especially with the goddess Athene. It is her shield with the Gorgon’s head on it.
2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">anyway</span> - The problem with this word is not so much pronunciation as the addition of an unnecessary sound. Don’t add an s to make it “anyways.” The word is ANYWAY.
3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">archipelago</span> - Because the word is from Greek, the ch is pronounced with a /k/ sound. Say /AR-KI-PEL-A-GO/, not /arch-i-pel-a-go/.
4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">arctic</span> - Note the C after the R. Say /ARK-TIK/, not /ar-tik/.
5. <span style="font-weight: bold;">accessory</span> - the first C has a “hard” sound. Say /AK-SESS-OR-Y/, not /ass-ess-or-y/.
6. <span style="font-weight: bold;">ask </span>- The S comes before the K. Say /ASK/ not /aks/.
7. <span style="font-weight: bold;">asterisk</span> - Notice the second S. Say /AS-TER-ISK/, not /as-ter-ik/.
8. <span style="font-weight: bold;">athlete</span> - The word has two syllables, not three. Say /ATH-LETE/, not /ath-uh-lete/.
9. <span style="font-weight: bold;">barbed wire</span>- Notice the AR in the first syllable. Say /BARBD/, not /bob/.
10. <span style="font-weight: bold;">cache</span> - The word is of French origin, but it does not end with an accented syllable. A cache is a hiding place or something that is being hidden: a cache of supplies; a cache of money; a cache of drugs. Say /KASH/, not /ka-shay/.
We don't want to steal the whole post from DWT, so for the next 31 words, you would have to head over the <a href="http://www.dailywritingtips.com/50-incorrect-pronunciations-that-make-you-look-dumb/">original post.</a> Any contributions this far?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-86205543221065979802008-12-07T19:24:00.000-05:002020-08-09T15:32:20.747-04:00Gain Success By Doing Things that Other People Can’t or Won’t DoSurely you've read a few or at least, one book about <span style="font-weight: bold;">how to become rich </span>because it's human nature to look for pleasure and commodities. I have spent some time with professional coaches that helped me out on personal development and showed some necessary steps, everyone dreaming of being rich before they can accomplish and become such a dream.
Now, many of course will be thinking that this is not a dream since many ( very few though) had worked hard and earned enough money to accumulate millions and millions. Some others will start arguing that this post doesn't even deserve the attention because it is not written by a <span style="font-weight: bold;">rich man.</span> We will accept your discrepancies with humility but let tell you what is saying one of the top 100 bloggers by Technorati and top influencers on the web according to the Wall Street Journal, Neil Patel.
There is not such an incredible revelation but he goes right to the point of what is expected for a regular person, in order to perform in the direction the money flows. After reading his post <a href="http://www.quicksprout.com/2008/11/23/4-ways-you-can-become-rich/">here,</a> please don't go: Damn it! I have none of these. Now I will never become a <span style="font-weight: bold;">millionaire.</span>
<span style="font-style: italic;">QuickSprout </span>asserts that you can become rich only if you meet these four criteria: Inheritance, Stunning physical attributes, Knowledge, Creativity, and Willingness.
The co-founder of these three Internet companies: ACS, Crazy Egg, and KISSmetrics, closed his post being quite strict on his postulates, "Hopefully you fall into one of these categories or else the chances of you becoming a millionaire are probably worse than the lottery... If you aren’t you better learn to or <span style="font-weight: bold;">don’t waste your time trying to become rich.</span>"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-26905778432458542002008-11-29T20:39:00.001-05:002020-08-09T15:31:06.269-04:00Antioch University Probes Obama's Speaking Elitist Isn't for English Language LearnersAndy Borowitz is a comedian and writer whose work appears in the Huffingtonpost, The New Yorker and The New York Times, and at his award-winning humor site, borowitzreport.com. He wrote a very English teachers essay last week that let many speculating of the President-elect Barack Obama's style of speech. <br />
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Teachers in the grant with Antioch University had chose areas of their practice, to research via inquiry projects that examined both quantitative and qualitative student data, and aligned with best practices in teaching English Language Learners.As consequence, Antioch University released a free curriculum for working with English Language Learners which included strategies to cope with the complete sentences stirs controversy that Borowitz speaks in the Huffingtonpost.<br />
<br />
The modeled <a href="http://antiochla.edu/tlc/shortcut-to-strategies/index.php">strategies</a> that TLC project proposed may:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
Be adapted for use in K-8 classrooms;<br />
Employ multiple teaching techniques for English learners, including those described in the CREDE standards (in Teaching Transformed, by Tharp, Estrada, Dalton and Yamauchi, 2000), and in Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2004);<br />
Are collaborative and constructive;<br />
Build trust and relationships among participants; and<br />
Help participants learn about and reflect on the experience of English learners</blockquote>
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There is nothing alienating in here and we don't think that "talking with complete sentences there and also too talking in a way that ordinary Americans like Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder can't really do there, I think needing to do that isn't tapping into what Americans are needing also" as Borowitz cites.<br />
<br />
Obama is a very educated man and we all love hear a person like him talking in such a perfect manner. We disagree with Davis Logsdon of the University of Minnesota when he says that "Every time Obama opens his mouth, his subjects and verbs are in agreement,...If he keeps it up, he is running the risk of sounding like an elitist."<br />
<br />
Wow! Now results that if Mr President speaks correctly, it may sound jarring for some. Is this what students are learning as Critical Thinking?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-83991486595557483892008-11-22T08:05:00.000-05:002020-08-09T15:30:45.471-04:00Bold Text -The Importance of Writing for Easier Readers' ScanFrom our experience, we do know that writing web documents is a different process from <span style="font-weight: bold;">writing for print,</span> and if you simply move your print documents onto weblogs, you are not using the medium to its best advantage. Be aware then, If you are including textual information on your blog, you should rewrite or adapt your materials to the <span style="font-weight: bold;">style of the genre.</span> Brad blogging is a good place to find online resources about how to write on your web site and he advises on many topics for those in the blog business. If you happen to visit Brad blogging, as you should do, you will feel immediately compelled to stay, browse, scan, and subscribe. Why? The presentation of his page is eye-catching, design, graphs, pictures, and the length of posts, so short that you won't spend more than a few seconds to get to the point. I encourage every blogger to write short posts, <span style="font-weight: bold;">web readers</span> are lazy and don't always appreciate to read long posts.
So, you have to find ways of how to invite your readers to stay over and one of them is the text presentation, the good use of bold text, which was analyzed by <a href="http://bradblogging.com/article-readability/6-important-reasons-to-bold-your-important-text/">Bradblogging</a> and that we cite here:
"Text that sticks out of the article will draw the reader’s eye.
Easier time for the reader to scan your article for important keywords and/or phrases.
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Not everyone has time to read your article.</span> They can grasp a basic sense of what you trying to say through bolded text.
Bolded points and information will make the article more pleasing to the eye. (Bradlblogging secret success.)
Your brain can create a bridge between bolded phrases making the actual reading part take much less time.
Finally, with the extra time that a visitor saves by scanning one of your articles, they could either: Subscribe, Comment, Read/Scan Another One Of Your Articles or
Buy an Advertisement"
How do you write your posts? Do you think is useful to abide by these rules?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-62996022305857548162008-11-09T16:52:00.000-05:002020-08-09T15:29:45.292-04:00Obamania: Do We Really Need to Learn All of This?<object width="400" height="312"><param name="movie" value="http://admin.brightcove.com/viewer/federated_f8.swf?flashId=flashObj0&servicesURL=http%3A%2F%2Fservices.brightcove.com%2Fservices&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https%3A%2F%2Fconsole.brightcove.com%2Fservices%2Famfgateway&cdnURL=http%3A%2F%2Fadmin.brightcove.com&videoId=1904636123&autoStart=false&preloadBackColor=%23FFFFFF&wmode=transparent&width=486&height=412&playerId=1443726225&externalAds=false&sendReports=false&buildNumber=348&ranNum=843884"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://admin.brightcove.com/viewer/federated_f8.swf?flashId=flashObj0&servicesURL=http%3A%2F%2Fservices.brightcove.com%2Fservices&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https%3A%2F%2Fconsole.brightcove.com%2Fservices%2Famfgateway&cdnURL=http%3A%2F%2Fadmin.brightcove.com&videoId=1904636123&autoStart=false&preloadBackColor=%23FFFFFF&wmode=transparent&width=486&height=412&playerId=1443726225&externalAds=false&sendReports=false&buildNumber=348&ranNum=843884" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="400" height="312"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-42334493897084439612008-10-05T13:46:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:28:47.341-04:00Freelancers: What Editors Really WantThis post was written to attend book writers but can be easily translated to the work many freelancers are trying to perform and it's based on the Chronicle of Higher Education writer, <a href="http://www.thefacultylounge.org/2008/10/what-editors-wa.html" title="The Faculty Lounge">Lynn Worsham:</a>
- Familiarize yourself with the types of articles that a journal publishes and only submit work appropriate for that journal.
- Pay close attention to the tone and style of work published in the journal and try to duplicate it in your own work. ...
- Placing your work in the context of articles previously published in the journal is good scholarly practice and helps make your article a better "fit" for the journal.
- Follow the journal's submission rules — exactly.
- Develop a healthy attitude toward rejection. You know from the outset that competition is fierce, so maintain a positive attitude.
Can you add something else to the list?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-65280565462565483062008-09-23T18:36:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:28:13.494-04:00How 'The Times' Strives to Polish Its ContentsYou all know how popular and read is <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Times</span> The following extract are part of <span style="font-style: italic;">When Spell-Check Can’t Help</span> and adapted from After Deadline, a weekly newsroom critique overseen by Philip B. Corbett, the deputy news editor who is also in charge of The Times’s style manual.
Since most writers and bloggers encounter similar troubles, Cogitate thinks these observations might interest all readers, too. The goal, however, is not to chastise, but to point out recurring problems and suggest solutions.
"When we stumble over sound-alike words, readers accuse us of turning our editing chores over to a computer program (and not a very sophisticated one).
[...]
Here’s a reminder from The Times’s style book:
<span style="font-weight: bold;">reason (n).</span> Both because and why are built into the meaning of reason. So avoid the reason is because and the reason why. Write The reason is that the mayor got more votes and She found out the reason the mayor won. Usually a phrase like reason why the decision was made can be shortened to reason for the decision."
All answers to this proposed quiz, is published in the <a href="http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/when-spell-check-cant-help-quiz-answers/">NYT by Philip B. Corbett.</a> Click the link to see what his take con the After Deadline weekly newsroom critiqueUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-90857432922635460352008-09-14T14:18:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:27:45.901-04:00Ed-Webinar Focused On English Language LearnersWestEd is a nonprofit research, development, and service agency and they're organizing a Webinar focused in English language learners. Agenda is scheduled to beging on October 8th and it's being shout out through SchoolMovingUP, which is a WestEd inicitive:
The following are the webinar you will have the oportunity to attend:
1. <span style="font-weight:bold;">English Learner Literacy Development through Formative Assessment of Oral Language </span>by Alison Bailey and Margaret Heritage.
2. <span style="font-weight:bold;">English Learners and the Language Arts</span> by Pamela Spycher.
3.<span style="font-weight:bold;"> Doing What Works: Teaching Elementary-School English Learners</span> by Nikola Filby.
4. <span style="font-weight:bold;">What the Research Does—and Does Not—Say About Teaching English Language Learners</span> by Claude Goldenberg.
5. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Building Oral Language into Content Area Instruction (Research from CREATE) </span>by Diane August.
6. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Web Tour Taking Center Stage--Act II : Ensuring Success for Middle Grades English Learners </span>by Carol Abbott and Jeanette Ganahl.
7. <span style="font-weight:bold;">English Learners in Secondary Mathematics: Rigor and Excellence</span> by Leslie Hamburger.
8. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Making Standards-based Lessons Understandable for English Learners: The SIOP Model (Encore Presentation)</span> by Jana Echevarria.
9. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Quality Teaching for English Learners: High Challenge and High Support</span> by Aída Walqui.
Enough time to plan ahead. Want to participate? Here is how to get involved in these<a href="http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/print/htdocs/partic.htm"> webinars.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-18628835201405985462008-09-09T18:52:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:27:24.085-04:00Dealing With English Language Business CommunicationAll people are familiar with the universalizing of the English language. What not all people are familiar with, is the kind of English you should learn in order to communicate in the business world. English is English, some might be arguing, but we have American and Britain English and both are understandable and useful. However, is the American one that most travelers, businessman, and people is getting in touch with and learning it.
Here we offer some useful phrases and idioms to talk about communication in the business field:
<span style="font-style: italic;">get straight to the point</span> = talk directly about something rather than going around the subject.
"He got straight to the point in the meeting."
<span style="font-style: italic;">beat around the bush</span> = not talk directly about something.
"Please don't beat around the bush."
<span style="font-style: italic;">go round in circles</span> = not get to the point or reach a conclusion.
"We're going round in circles here. Perhaps we should go back to the beginning."
<span style="font-style: italic;">kiss and tell</span> = tell the newspapers about your relationship with someone famous.
"This Sunday there's going to be a great kiss and tell about the new Prime Minister."
<span style="font-style: italic;">set the record straight</span> = say what really happened so that there are no misunderstandings.
"He really set the record straight about what happened in the Board Meeting."
<span style="font-style: italic;">give someone the low-down</span> = give all the details, inside story or gossip.
"Just as well she gave me the low-down on my new boss before I met him."
<span style="font-style: italic;">stay in touch / contact</span> = not lose contact with someone.
"Please stay in touch after you leave the company." <div><br /></div><div> Via/ <a href="http://www.theenglishweb.com/">theEnglishWeb.com</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-37895508866205538212008-09-01T08:10:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:26:44.192-04:00Darmano: On the Conversation ArchitectureDavid Armano writes for <span style="font-style: italic;">Business Week</span> and discusses the problem marketers are confronted with today. He says "A consumer can be any number of things—sometimes all at once. And that fact is driving marketers, businesspeople, and brand managers nuts. So what do we do? I propose we become conversation architects."
But what it means to be a "conversation architect"?
Using social tools such as YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, Ning, or those still growing, we have to "market to each other", in other words, it's not enough to communicate but facilitate the flow of information in all ways.
<a href="http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2008/08/beyond-conversa.html">Armano</a> has a blog where he wants to complete the "merits of conversation, transparency, authenticity, facilitation, participation", etc. He builds up the discourse on social networks and internal/external properties. These questions arose at the end. Want to chime in?<div><br /><div>Questions transcripted:
1. How will these initiatives relate to one another?
2. Will they be able to scale at the same rate or will some pull ahead of others?
3. How much redundancy will occur between them?
4. Will new tools need to be developed to coordinate internal/external and social activities?
5. What platforms will best be served for research vs. communication?
6. Which systems will demonstrate the most flexibility to adapt?</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-46697597139888612012008-08-25T18:53:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:25:17.704-04:00Make the Most of Your Personal SituationsMaking the most of any given situation means going beyond feeling and acting rather an on principle writes Crystal Redhead-Gould.
She is the owner <a href="http://fivestarexecutives.com/">Virtual Assistant</a> owner and we really like the way of making business. If you're thinking of money, then go and visit Mb and you will mature your very own ideas.
Now is a good time to give them [your ideas] some thought. (short post republished from <span style="font-style: italic;">fivestarexecutives.com</span> <div><br /></div><div>1. Did I do my very best in all the circumstances that I had an opportunity to? </div><div>2. Did I make my customers feel that they are special and give the quality of service I’d give if that was the only customer I had? Cause as a cogitate guy, the best testimonial is the one from a deeply satisfied customer or client. </div><div>3. Did I use my downtime to improve the quality of service I offer?</div><div>4. Am I satisfied with my work ethics? </div><div>5. Do I love what I do, because if you don’t, the answer to all the above will be "no."
Have a great week-time is precious, spend it wisely. Don't waste it!!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-74555969013679167362008-08-14T21:59:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:22:25.931-04:00Taking a Break from Spanish, No More!While some are still visiting this blog in the hope they will find the secrets of how NOT to make money, We still lack time to dedicate it and write especially for those our dearest readers. In the meantime, please head over this blog to learn about a series of posts on the <a href="http://www.wpthemedesigner.com/2008/08/12/make-money-online-creating-info-product/">info-product.</a>
Now back to our matters, we've received a visit to one of our blogs from a person who is dedicated to learning Spanish at all costs. The latest post is on <a href="http://www.spanish-only.com/?p=41">badass materials</a> on how to learn the Cervantes' language.
<blockquote>Well, is hearing English bad for you mental state? Is it bad reading a book while you’re on holiday? Don’t you watch TV in your free time? Is it weird? NO! So why would it be weird doing all those things in Spanish? It’s just another language which I (and you) happen to not speak fluently (yet). Therefore I try to avoid people who say crap (yes, again, CRAP!) like that. For me that’s quite hard, as my own parents say the same things and I’m spending 3 weeks of my summer with them… But, just keep saying to yourself: “I’m not a quitter! I WILL speak Spanish! I’m not very good at it now, but I will. And I will prove all those people wrong, because I know hearing, reading, seeing, living Spanish each and every is *good* for me.” [/brainwash mode]</blockquote>
So. there you go, are you a <a href="http://www.spanish-only.com/?p=39">quitter or an endurer.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-72954229626886664162008-07-29T19:58:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:21:06.454-04:00Translestosphere: New Blog of Resources for TranslatorsI was talking today via Gmail with a friend of us and he just gave us a tip on this note. The launching of this blog was made in Spanish but offers guides and tools on how to work with translations. In its sidebar you will find plenty of resources, both in English and Sapnish.
<span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://traductosphera.blogspot.com">Tradutósfera [es]</a></span> was discovered because we were looking for experiences the translators have in Global Voices, and then we got to the interview of <a href="http://es.globalvoicesonline.org/">Spanish Lingua Editor,</a> <a href="http://traductosphera.blogspot.com/2008/07/traduciendo-y-comunicando.html">Juan Arellanos.</a>
Using <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftraductosphera.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Ftraduciendo-y-comunicando.html&hl=en&ie=UTF8&sl=es&tl=en">Google,</a> you might be able to read the whole interview about editor experiences with translations in Global Voices.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-80723087980524176102008-07-22T17:55:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:20:48.053-04:00English Convesational Expressions_My name is …. What should I call you?
_Hi, I am ….
_ Hi, …. I am pleased to meet you.
_ I take my hat off to you.
_It’s rare to meet someone as imaginative and eloquent as you.
_ It’s good of you to notice that.
_ Do you know what else?
_ Ok. If you are, then you are.
_ I often ask myself that same question.
_ Would you like coffee?
If you insist….
Obviously, I would.
_ Are you ….?
Of course, I am ….
_ Did they teach you to talk that way in school or did you make that up all by yourself?
_ It doesn’t make sense to dwell on it.
_ Don’t begin to draw conclusions.
_ I’ll be hanged if I do that.
_ Do me a favor and stick to plain English. I don’t have a fancy education.
_ Anyway, I’ll leave that for you to figure out.
_ Goodness gracious! Really?
_ However, I can’t be bothered with that.
_ That’s a perfectly wonderful thing to say.
_ What makes you think, I can answer that?
_ So what else is new?
_ I’ll bet you know all about him. Don’t you?
_ Excuse me, I’ll be right back. That’s better. So what we were talking about? I forgot.
_ Hey! Wait a second! What’s that hanging off your nose? - Just Kidding!
_ That makes a lot of sense.
_ Anyhow, I have a bigger fish to fry.
_ Really? Things could be worse, you know.
_ Not now. May be later.
_ I can’t argue with you there.
_ It is purely a matter of opinion.
_ Strictly speaking, that probably explains a lot!
_ To put it in a nutshell, or To cut it short, ….
_ You must be pulling my leg. But that can be our little secret, right?
_ Hey! Stop using those filthy words or I’ll get mad.
_ I’m trying as hard as I can, but I just don’t catch. What you’re trying to say there.
_ I don’t think that’s any of your business.
_ Don’t make me laugh.
_ Are you kidding me?
_ That’s incredible!
_ Ridiculous!
_ The whole thing is unbelievable!
_ No. I refuse to do any such thing.
_ Excuse me. My head itches like crazy!
_ You’ve got one very foul mouth. Put a lid on it.
_ Stop talking garbage.
_ Excuse me, somebody’s at the door.
_ Could you translate that for me into plain English?
_ I’m pretty sure, I do not know!
_ Why?
I never bothered to find out.
_ How?
How should I know?
How you’d expect.
_ What?
I could loan you my hearing aid, but it doesn’t work very well.
Think about it. Guess what!
Come on. What do you think?
_ When?
When! When pigs fly. That’s when.
I don’t keep track of such things.
_ Who?
It was somebody. But I can’t remember the name.
_ So nice of you. And it wouldn’t take a genius to figure that out!
_ That’s incredible! Did you think it up all by yourself?
_ If you say so. What can I say?
_ May be you are right.
_ I wouldn’t lie to you. But I wouldn’t want that to get out in public. Ok?
_ Obviously/ Really?
_ It may be obvious/real to you, but not to me!
_ What makes you think, I can answer that?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-6961441634261092332008-06-29T16:47:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:20:10.539-04:00Texting from your Cellphone, TranslatedI do know there are other places where you can find this information, but I just wanted to share with you, something that I've received a few days ago from my cellphone service provider. Many people -younger than older, are using text messaging as the quickest and efficient way to communicate.
Your son won't pick the phone to answer if he/she realized is a mom who's calling to say something, or to curfew him up. Yet this can be easily solved if they pick their cellphones just to discover mom again wants to know about her date, <span style="font-style: italic;">verbigracie</span>. Her mom might send something like 'king or frog' and that will be enough to think what she's into. Daughter can answer back 'king' and nobody has to feel embarrassed or justify why mom has to be calling at this time!
Here's the guide:
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Basic:</span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">YT?</span> -Are you there?
<span style="font-weight: bold;">< bs ></span> -Big smile
<span style="font-weight: bold;">4E</span> - Forever
<span style="font-weight: bold;">F2F</span> - face-to-face
<span style="font-weight: bold;">GR8</span> -Great
<span style="font-weight: bold;">LMK</span> -Let me know
<span style="font-weight: bold;">N2K</span> - Need to know
<span style="font-weight: bold;">U@?</span> -Where are you?
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Intermediate:</span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">DHYB</span> - Don't hold your breath
<span style="font-weight: bold;">FFR</span> - For future reference
<span style="font-weight: bold;">ILBL8</span> - I'll be late
<span style="font-weight: bold;">kThxBye</span> -Okay, thanks. Goodbye!
<span style="font-weight: bold;">RB@U </span> - Right back at you
<span style="font-weight: bold;">PTMM </span> - Please, tell me more
<span style="font-weight: bold;">*vin</span> -Starving
<span style="font-weight: bold;">SC$</span> - Success
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Advanced:</span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">B3<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span> - Blah, blah, blah
<span style="font-weight: bold;">FTBOMH</span> - From the bottom of my heart
<span style="font-weight: bold;">GD&R </span> - Grinning, ducking and running
<span style="font-weight: bold;">HB2U</span> -Happy Birthday to you
<span style="font-weight: bold;">TTYL</span> -Talk to you later
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Y3</span> - Yadda, yadda, yadda
<span style="font-weight: bold;">MHOTY</span> - My hat's off to youUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-1584250073669599082008-06-13T16:41:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:19:08.979-04:00Journalists Most Misspelled WordsGreat list of more than 60 words no Johnny but journalists misspell according to the experiences of <a href="http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=142901">Roy Peter Clark</a>:
<span style="font-weight:bold;">acknowledgment:</span> (The American Heritage Dictionary also permits acknowledgement, but prefers to drop that extra "e," and so do I.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">acquiesce:</span> (The "sce" ending always gives me problems, as in reminisce.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">aphrodisiac:</span> (Named after Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love. Would that make an afrodisiac something that gives you a desire to listen to "Earth, Wind and Fire"?)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">appropriate:</span> (Most words beginning with an "ap" are followed by another p; so if you've got to guess, go with app ...)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">camaraderie:</span> (I don't understand how we get from "comrade" to this vowely abstraction, but I learned how to spell it by following a simple consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel pattern.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">carcass:</span> (I can now spell any word that ends with -ass.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Caribbean:</span> (You'll have to look up exotic place names, except for Lake Titicaca, of course. But commit to memory the ones you are likely to use most often: Mediterranean, Schenectady, Mississippi, Albuquerque.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">cemetery:</span> (Just remember "three e's.")
<span style="font-weight:bold;">congratulate:</span> (Sounds like that first "t" should be a "d." You can see part of the word gratis in the middle, derived from the Latin for gift.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">colonel:</span> (A homophone with kernel. Just remember "the colonial colonel.")
<span style="font-weight:bold;">commitment:</span> (But if the suffix begins with a consonant, as -ment, you do not double the previous letter. I remember this because of Roddy Doyle's novel about an Irish soul band: "The Commitments.")
<span style="font-weight:bold;">committed:</span> (A reliable rule is that when you add an "ed" to a verb ending in a consonant, you double the consonant: referred.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">conscience:</span> (While homophones -- words that sound the same but have different meanings -- are always a problem, so are words that sound alike, but not exactly alike, which why we confuse this with conscious.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">definitely:</span> (It helps me to see the word finite in the middle.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">diaphragm:</span> (That "g" is silent in words such as phlegm, but can be heard in phlegmatic.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">dilemma:</span> (After watching the weeping news editor, I can never misspell this one.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">dumbbell:</span> (A bit old-fashioned to use for exercise weights or dumb jocks, but retains an enduring if politically incorrect charm.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">embarrass:</span> (Two r's and two s'es.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">flier:</span> (My high school team name was The Flyers, so I object to the use of flier to denote both the aviator and the leaflet.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">forty:</span> (Go figure.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">gauge:</span> (Tough one to remember, as is gouge.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">genuine:</span> (Just take out your wallet, which probably claims to be "genuine leather.")
<span style="font-weight:bold;">handkerchief:</span> (When I was a kid, I was blown away by this spelling, until I realized it denoted a small kerchief, one you held in your hand.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">hemorrhage:</span> (If you can spell this, you can spell hemorrhoid. Cheers.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">hors d'oeuvres:</span> (Damn the French, except for the food, of course. Looks like it could mean the work of horses or the work of whores, but literally means "outside the main work." Yummy.)
inoculate (Most people want to add another "n." I remember the phrase "in the eye" because oculus is Latin for eye.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">judgment:</span> (Now that I remember to leave out the "e" in the middle, the AHD gives its blessing, but not its preference, to judgement.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">liaison:</span> (Three vowels in a row are bound to screw you up.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">lieutenant:</span> (Now that I've learned the origin, I'll never misspell it again. It comes from the French word lieu or place, as in "in lieu of flowers." A lieutenant is a place holder.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">limousine:</span> (Did I say something nasty about the French?)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">manageable</span>
<span style="font-weight:bold;">millennium:</span>(Misspelled a thousand times. It literally means a thousand years. The Latin word for year is annum, as in per annum or anniversary, which gives us the double n.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">minuscule:</span> (I misspelled this until I remembered the word begins with "minus.")
<span style="font-weight:bold;">misspell:</span> (Always fun to get this one wrong.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">neighbor:</span> (I learned this in fourth grade: "i" before "e," except after "c," or when sounded like -ay, as in neighbor and weigh.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">noticeable</span>
<span style="font-weight:bold;">occurrence:</span> (One more time.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">paramour:</span> (You say to your sweetheart, "Oh, you!" or O-U.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">perseverance:</span> (A good severance package helps you persevere.)
(This refers to an event held for the first time, as in the premiere of a movie, but if you mean a head of state or the first among many, lop off that final e.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">questionnaire:</span> (See rule under committed.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">pastime:</span> (Baseball fans usually get this one.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">playwright:</span> (Playwrite is the understandable mistake, until you learn that wright means maker, as in cartwright or wheelwright or wainwright or boatwright.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">pneumonia:</span> (Not sure why that initial "p" before a consonant likes to keep its mouth shut.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">ptomaine: </span>(Old, bad joke: If you get ptomaine poisoning, we may have to call a toe truck and then cut off your main toe.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">receive</span>
<span style="font-weight:bold;">reconnaissance:</span> My editor alerted me to the fact that I misspelled this word in my first draft.
<span style="font-weight:bold;">reconnoiter</span>
<span style="font-weight:bold;">relieve:</span> (My mom taught me to remember certain ie words this way: You believe a lie.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Renaissance:</span> (Some words mark a specific historical period, but can be used in a broader sense, without the initial capital letter, in this case to mean rebirth.")
<span style="font-weight:bold;">rendezvous:</span> (Sometimes it helps to remember a foreign word by giving it a conventional English pronunciation, just for fun: "Sweetheart, let's have a romantic ron-dez-voos.")
<span style="font-weight:bold;">rhythm:<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span> (Often paired with rhyme.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">sabotage:</span> (I now know that a sabot is a wooden shoe that could be taken off and banged on a table to subvert work.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">siege</span>
<span style="font-weight:bold;">seize:</span> (I remember seize and siege as a pair. If I say "seize the day," I know the other one is an "ie" word.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">separate:</span> (People want to write seperate, but to a golfer like me, it would be below par.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">sergeant:</span> (It appears as if care is needed with words of military rank.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">suede:</span> (From the French word for Swede.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">supersede:</span> (I never get this right. Grrr. Perhaps I can remember that the secret of success lives in the first letter.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">threshold:</span> (The way I pronounce it, sounds like it should have another "h.")
<span style="font-weight:bold;">thoroughfare:</span> (Folks who learn English as a second language find the "ough" spellings and pronunciations a huge problem.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">traveling:</span> (AHD blesses both a single "l" and a "double l" solution.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">vacuum:</span> (Vacume would be too easy, and not as visually arresting as that double u.)
<span style="font-weight:bold;">vignette</span>
<span style="font-weight:bold;">weird:</span> (Seems to me that it should be "ie," but then the word is, after all, weird.)
Feel free to enlarge the list and in comments let us know which are the words that cause trouble to you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-89172617728217773812008-06-07T11:02:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:18:51.058-04:00Two Disparaging and Offensive WordsI was reading this <a href="http://cmdmedia.wordpress.com/">blog </a> and I've found two words that suppostedly Mayor Bollwage used to refer to Spanish and Black residents:
<span style="font-style:italic;">Spook:</span> Offensive slang used for calling a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American">Black person.</a>
<span style="font-style:italic;">Spic:</span> Offensive slang for a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spic">Latino person.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-17153250057258967272008-05-18T09:30:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:18:30.569-04:00More to Come Very Soon!If for any reason you've landed here, please excuse our lack of attention to this blog, we are working hard to make a re-launch and give better and useful information.
Hope you come back ang bookmarks this dead blog!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-11102474259741128072008-04-02T19:32:00.000-04:002020-08-09T15:17:48.629-04:00Translating with GoogleDon't get Google tricked you on important issues. Follow the <a href="http://asiajin.com/blog/2008/04/01/google-translate-tricked-cubs-fans-thoughtlessly/">link.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733823.post-29074111692492728832008-03-04T20:38:00.000-05:002020-08-09T15:17:20.403-04:00Expressions To Remember"I don't like loose ends"
" Too close for comfort"
"And the Creeks don't dry"
"Lie and lie, the pants get fire"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0