Idiom: What a Week

This is an English idiom you use when we've had a tough week usually from one of the following:

• Hard work schedule
• Sickness or illness
• An accident
• Relationship strain
• Bad luck
• Good luck
• Trouble with the car, computer or other device

When these occur within a day we would say 'what a day' to start into a list of things that happened. When they occur within a series of days we say 'what a week' to start our list.

A: Wow, what a week I've had!
B:Really? What happened?
A: Well on Sunday I started to have a sore throat but I went to a teachers' conference anyway and ended up staying out late having dinner and chatting with some of my teacher friends. On Monday my sore throat got worse and I had a pounding headache and went to teach a class. I went to bed early that night and on Tuesday I felt better and had a 5 hour training for my new job and then did a 6 hour training day on Wednesday that started at 9am. This new job is very physical so my legs hurt a bit. I had my part-time teaching job on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I was suppose to work on Sunday, but I got a call and it got cancelled so now I can stay home and get some rest and do my laundry. 
B: Yeah. What a week!

How about you? Did you have a 'what a week' this week? Tell us about it in the comments or send me an Email. We would love to hear from you!!

Speak Bravely and Happy Learning!

English Tip: Practice speaking quickly

One of the best ways to learn English fluency is to practice speaking quickly. Practicing quick speech keeps the lips and tongue supple and prevents mumbling. It also helps with the thinking process and breaks you out of those unwanted ummm.., uhhh, well moments that we all experience.

Here are three ways to help with your speaking quickly practice.

1. Recite a passage from a book as quickly as possible.

"Anyway, the sound I heard was just like that time. There aren't any little kids living next door, so it's weird to hear something shatter so loudly, and the whole thing was kind of alarming. Maybe a burglar broke in. My heart beating like mad, I listened carefully but didn't hear anything else. Total silence."

2. Tongue twisters are another useful tool for enunciation.

I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop.
Where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits.

The thinkers thought of how they three thinkers were thirsty on that Thursday.

3. Try singing or reciting "The Major General's Song" from "Pirates of Penzance"



Do you have any other ways to practice speaking quickly? Please share your book passages, tongue twisters or songs that you use to practice speaking quickly.

Speak Bravely and Happy Learning!

Discussions: Three Parts of Importance

A discussion is a detailed conversation on a topic. The purpose of a discussion is to learn as much as possible about the topic.

Discussion Parts

First: Opinion
A belief about a topic. An opinion is hard to discuss by itself so we need reasons and examples to help explain our opinion.

Second: Reasons
The 'why' of it all is important to any opinion. Reasons will help your partner understand your opinion.

Third: Examples
Examples are necessary to connect opinion and reasons to reality. Examples also help your partner understand your opinion.

Creating a Discussion

Opinion: I believe that plastic bags are bad for the environment.
Reason: Because plastic bags are rarely recycled and take about 450 to 1000 years to break down if put in a landfill.
Examples: Plastic bags that are breaking down in landfills release toxic materials into the ground that contaminates water and soil. Some plastic bags make their way into rivers or oceans and entangle fish or are eaten by other water animals.

Give us your Discussion ideas. Make sure to include your opinion, reason, and examples.

Speak Bravely and Happy Learning!

Independent Speaking Task #4

In this exercise, you will answer three questions. For each question, begin responding immediately after you hear a beep. No preparation time is provided. You will have 15 seconds to respond to Questions 1 and 2 and 30 seconds to respond to Question 3.

Imagine that you are at a travel fair. A travel agent asks you about you experience and your interests in traveling.

Questions

1. In the past six months, have you taken any trips?
2. If you could go anywhere in the world-expense free, where would you go?
3. What trip do you consider one of the best trips you ever took?

 Example Answers

     1a. Yes, I have. I went to the United States and visited with my friends and family for two weeks. It was a 12 hour plane ride, but it was so much fun to see everyone.
     1b. No, I haven't. I have been busy with work and haven't been able to go anywhere.

     2. I would go to Italy. I love eating Italian food such as pasta and pizza. I would really love to go to Italy to eat real home made Italian cuisine. Plus, they have lots of exciting historical sites to see.

     3. I consider my trip to the Niagara Falls in Canada one of the best trips I've ever taken. The waterfall was so beautiful and majestic. We went on a boat ride underneath the falls and even took a helicopter ride above the falls which was amazing! It was a family trip we took when I was around 12 years old and I don't remember everything, but I can remember a lot about it. I hope to take my own family there one day to show them how beautiful it is and to create a wonderful memory for them.

Use the Voice Thread to record your own answers to the speaking task. These questions actually come from the TOEIC speaking test. Please share with us your travel experience and do your best to follow the testing guidelines.

Speak Bravely and Happy Learning!!

English Tip: Better Listening=Better Speaking

Recently, I've been reading and listening a lot to Seth Godin, a great resource for any business English learners out there or just for anyone looking to develop their work or life into art.

Godin wrote this post last week on How to Listen; please go and it read it now!

Are you back?

I want to use his words to help us listen and speak English better. (not in the order he wrote them)

"The hardest step in better listening is the first one: do it on purpose. Make the effort to actually be good at it. The listener has nearly as big a responsibility as the speaker does."

Listening is the easiest and hardest thing to do. When you speak I can hear you, but am I listening? Especially in a foreign language when you need to hear, understand then produce a response. In a conversation it's alright to repeat the words back to the speaker to show you were listening and get confirmation that you understood correctly.

"Play back what you hear but in your own words, using your own situation. Building on what you just heard but making it your own. Take what you heard and make it the foundation for what you are trying on as your next idea."

If your teacher is telling a story pay close attention to how they frame that story and use that framing to tell your own story.

Teacher: One day while I was at the park I saw many families flying kites. Everyone was having a lot of fun.
Student: One day while I was at the park it started to rain. Everyone was running to get home.

"If listening better leads to better speaking, then it becomes a competitive advantage."

Listening to the tone and phrasing of the words is just as important as the words themselves. Anyone can learn to say 'please' and 'sorry' but better listening allows us to make them our own, put them in the right mood and in the right situation say them with true sincerity.

"Pay back the person who's speaking with enthusiasm. Enthusiasm shown by the expression on your face, in your posture, in your questions."

Effective listening requires attention free from distractions. In my own listening I fall in this trap all the time relating what the speaker said to my own situation or forming questions too soon without hearing parts that are important and answer those questions. It's good to have a pen and notebook near by to jot down thoughts and questions so you're not holding on to them in your head getting distracted by trying to remember them. Writing things down shows enthusiasm as well.

"The best way to honor someone who has said something smart and useful is to say something back that is smart and useful. The other way to honor them is to go do something with what you learned."

When your listening and learning from your teacher showing enthusiasm, asking good questions, and building on your knowledge to craft your speaking ability your teacher will take notice and start to improve their lessons by preparing more interesting topics, activities and assignments. But remember the opposite is also true. The teacher will only put in as much effort as you do.

This is also true for your social life. If your making foreign friends engage them with smart and useful words and questions not just the same old 'Where are you from?' question they've been asked a million times. You'll find that making friends is easier if you do so.

"Good listeners get what they deserve--better speakers."

Happy learning and remember to Speak Bravely!

Adverbs of Frequency: The Missing Manual

In the previous post about Adverbs of Frequency we learned about the basics; always, usually, sometimes, rarely, never.

Now let's at some lesser known frequency adverbs but almost probably used just as much as the others.

The Grammar
Noun (pronoun) + adverb + verb

Almost - Very closely completed but not completely.
She almost made the winning goal.
The pie almost got burnt.

Probably - Seems true, likely to happen  or expected.
They probably got lost.
Books probably make the best presents for students.

Just - Very recently or by a small amount of time.
I just ate.
He just missed the the bus.

Other Usage
After a 'special' verb; Noun (pronoun) + 'special' verb + adverb + verb
A 'special' verb is a verb that can be combined with 'not', can make a question by coming before the subject or makes a question tag. Please read this great post at MyEnglishBook for more details on 'special' verbs.

Be
He's just completed the exam.
You're probably walking home tonight.
The cake is almost done.

Have
I have just arrived.
It has probably closed.
They have almost finished.

Can
I can just imagine.
We can probably go now.
It can almost start.

Could
The police could just arrest you for suspicion. 
She could probably use my bike.
Fried cheese could almost be the worst food to eat.

Need
The team needs just one more point.
We need almost everyone.
*need probably doesn't work

Might
It might just be the perfect gift.
They might probably need a doctor.
I might almost finish on time.

Will
They will just take a taxi from the airport.
My parents will probably call on Friday.
The pizza will almost be here.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments or contact me by email. Also, please share your own examples in the comments as well.

Happy learning!

My Financial Life

Our financial lives can be somewhat difficult to manage especially if we don't know the language. Let's learn some Finance vocabulary to better balance the books on our English financial future.


Finance vocabulary

Nouns

Bank
A financial institution that holds and gives money.

Save
To keep money.

Income
The amount of money you make from working or investments.

Expenses
The amount of money you spend on food, rent or mortgage, clothes, utilities, etc.

Budget
Based on income and expenses a planned amount of money set aside for food, clothes, utilities, entertainment, savings, etc.

Debt
Amount of money you owe to others from credit or a loan.

Check
A special piece of paper paid to a business or individual for goods and services for an amount of money taken out of a checking account. Typically not used very often anymore.

Debit
An amount of money taken out of an account usually a checking account with a debit card.

Credit
An amount of money your allowed to borrow but have to pay back commonly used through a credit card.

Loan
An amount of money borrowed from a bank or individual for buying a house, opening a small business or to go to school that is paid back.

Interest
To earn money on top of money based on a percentage of the total value usually in a savings account; or in credit or a loan the amount of money owed based on a percentage of the total value added to the balance.

Rent
Amount of money paid every month for an office, house, or apartment. Sometimes you can rent furniture or a car and might be referred to as a 'rental'.

Mortgage
A special loan given to buy non movable property such as a house or land.

Profit
Total income after expenses for a goods and services business.


Verbs

Banking
A verb used when we're doing money activities.

Savings
An account for money that is saved.

Checking
An account for money that is often spent using a check or debit card.

Spend
To pay, buy or give money for goods and services.

Invest
To spend money into land (real estate), stocks, bonds or other goods that may gain value over time such as art, antiques or other valuable collectables in the hopes of making a profit.


Idioms

Balance the Books
To add up all your income and expenses and to make sure all is accounted for.

In the red
To be in debt or to not make a profit.

In the black
To make a profit.

Bounce a check
To write a check in which you don't have the amount in the checking account.

Spend some time studying these words to understand the world of finance better. Who knows maybe there will be a quiz later!!

Happy learning!

How often? The Adverbs of Frequency

When asked the question: How often do you...? We answer with a frequency adverb; always, usually, sometimes, rarely, never.

Here's a basic lesson on how to use The Adverbs of Frequency:

To give an amount of how much we do an activity or an action.

The Grammar
Noun (pronoun) + adverb + verb + (prepositional phrase).

Frequency Adverbs:

Always - 100%
I always eat breakfast in the morning. 

Usually - 80%
She usually comes home at 5:00.

Sometimes - 50%
They sometimes go to the movies. 

Rarely - 30%
It rarely snows in February.

Never - 0%
He never plays tennis after work.

Usually = Often
We often watch the game on Sunday.

Rarely = Seldom 
You seldom wash the dishes.

Happy learning!

The Self-Introduction

Previously at the Chromatic English School we posted 3 Podcasts Worth Listening to. On that list was the Grammar Girl whose English tips for better grammar in writing and speaking are a great resource for improving your English. The Quick and Dirty Tips website has a lot of valuable learning resousces and the one I've been listening to a lot lately is The Public Speaker.

Listening to The Public Speaker Podcast Quick and Dirty tips for improving your communication skills I came across the How to Introduce Yourself to a Group or to a Class episode. Click on the link and go check it out now. I can wait till you get back...

OK, finished? Pretty helpful. What do you think?

I used this with my class today to help one of my students with her introduction for when she visits an American school in the spring.

Here is an outline of how I taught my class using the tips from The Public Speaker and somethings I added for the ESL learner.

Introduction

1. Say your name
Say your first name then say your name again with your last name. Say it slowly and pronounced so everyone in the room can hear it and remember it.

My name is Joshua, Joshua Wood. 

2. Say where you are from
Say the country you are from.

I'm from the United States. 

3. Say a few of your interests
-One or two that you might share with the class or group
-One that's personal to you

Shared Interests
Interests that are open and not too specific

• Music
• Reading
• Writing 
• Cooking
• Movies
• Sports

Personal Interests
Interests that are specific 

• Playing the drums
• Computer programming
• Writing a blog
• Public speaking
• Hanshin Tigers baseball 

A shared interest can be made personal by adding details to it:
I like reading especially Japanese mystery novels. (If especially is a hard word to pronunciation you can change to, I like to read. I really like to read...)

Use the prompt
When I take a break from studying I like to...

When I take a break from studying I like to watch movies, reading and playing the drums.

Your main goal for your self-introduction is for teachers and classmates to remember who you are and feel like they have something in common with you.

Please post your self-introduction onto Voice Thread. We look forward to hearing from you!
Happy learning!

Sports: Super Bowl Special

Living in Japan I meet many people who the word football means soccer. To get around confusion we use the term American football to differentiate between the two sports.

On Sunday the main event of American football was played by the Baltimore Ravens and the San Fransisco 49ers.

Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens 

for winning the Super Bowl!!

This is a basics guide to the game of American football. 

The American football season is 17 weeks with each team playing 16 games and one week off, called a Bye week. The teams with the best record go into a single elimination playoff that leaves two teams to face each other in the championship game called the Super Bowl.

Play
Each game is played on a field, indoors or outdoors, of 100 yards. Each ball possession has 4 plays, called downs, to make 10 yards to earn a new series of 4 downs. Each time the ball is down by tackle or going out of bounds the play stops, the ball is set to the nearest yard line and the players reset their positions for the next play. The line where the ball sits is called the line of scrimmage. The line of scrimmage can't be crossed by either side until the ball is in play, the Center hikes the ball to the Quarterback. If a team doesn't score and it's 4th down then they have the option of punting the ball to the opposing team. Then each team switches its offense to defense or defense to offense. Each game is 4 quarters of 15 minutes each with a 15 minute halftime in between 2 quarters.

The Players
With only 11 players allowed on the field a typical play uses these player positions:

Offense
Quarterback: The player that leads the offense by calling plays, throwing or handing the ball to gain yards. He is allowed to run the ball himself, but usually doesn't for fear of injury. 
Running back: The Half back is handed the ball and runs for yards; The Full back is a bigger version of the Half back.
Wide Receiver: Players who are the primary catchers of the pass.
Tight End: Players who are able to catch the pass or block on running plays.

Offensive line
The line in front of the Quarterback in charge of keeping him safe from being tackled.
Center: Snaps the ball to the Quarterback then blocks.
Guard: A blocker
Tackle: A blocker

Defense
Defensive line:
The line in front of the Offensive line who try to tackle the Quarterback or Running Back.
Defensive Tackle: In the center of the Defensive line who rush the passer or tackle the Running Back in the center.
Defensive End: The players on each side of the defensive tackle who rush the Quarterback or tackle the running back at the end of the line.

Linebacker: Players who play behind the Defensive line who rush the Quarterback, cover receivers or tackle the Running Back.
Safety: The players who block the middle of the field and tackle the Running Back or block the Tight End.
Cornerback: The players who guard the Wide Receiver and try to intercept the ball.

Special Teams
Offense:
Kicker: The player who kicks a field goal and kicks off the ball to the other team at the beginning of the game or after a touchdown.
Holder: The player who holds the ball for the Kicker (hopefully laces out).
Punter: Kicks the ball in a dropkick style to move the ball down field so the opposing team isn't near their Endzone.
Long snapper: The player who throws a long hike to the punter.
Gunner: Players who run down the field to tackle the Kick or Punt returner.

Defense:
Kick returner/Punt returner: Player at the opposite end of the field to catch the kick or punt and run the ball for more yards. 

Scoring 
At each end is a goal, called the Endzone, and a goal post at each end. Each Endzone is 10 yards and if the ball passes through by the Offense is rewarded with 6 points.  If the offense scores a touchdown they're rewarded with an extra scoring opportunity of 1 point, the extra point, or 2 points, the 2 point conversion, decided by the coach based on need.

If the ball is close to the Endzone and it's a 4th down then the team uses the kicker to kick the ball between the goal posts, a field goal, to score 3 points. After a touchdown this is also how they score the extra point opportunity. The 2 point opportunity occurs if the team decides to run or throw the ball into the Endzone again after a touchdown starting at the 2 yard line.

If the offense is near their Endzone the defense can tackle the player with the ball in that Endzone to earn 2 points called a Safety.If the defense recovers a dropped ball, called a fumble, or catch a pass, an interception, they can run the ball into their Endzone for a touchdown.

When I was back in the USA for Christmas my parents bought us tickets to a football game for our hometown team the Indianapolis Colts.

In this picture each side is getting ready to set on the line of scrimmage.

In this picture the Offense, Colts, and Defense are ready to play.



















American football is an amazing sport. It doesn't have a lot of popularity outside of America and Canada and is often described as brutal. Well, it's no more brutal than Rugby in my opinion and all the players wear protective gear to prevent injury. Of course players still get injured, but that's a risk they take and get paid very well to take.

There are more rules and subtleties to the game that are easy to learn often by watching a few games to see how to rules are broken. Such rules include holding, passing interference, unnecessary roughness just to name a few.

If you have any more questions about American football or would like to talk sports, please schedule a lesson with the Chromatic English School Online!

Happy learning!

Passive Voice: by zombies!

A while back I read somewhere about how to use passive voice by adding 'by zombies' to the end of a the verb to identify the passive voice versus active voice.

I traced down the source to Rebecca Johnson, professor of culture and ethics at USMC, where she wrote this on her twitter feed:

I finally learned how to teach my guys to ID the passive voice. 

If you can insert "by zombies" after the verb, 

you have passive voice.

Check out her twitter tweet here.

It has since gone viral and just by typing 'passive voice by zombies' into Google will find many people using the 'by zombies' code of identifying passive voice in English.

What is the English passive voice?

Using the auxiliary verb to be or (sometimes) get with the past participle of the main verb.

Examples:

The moon is hidden.
He was forgotten.
My clothes get washed.

The passive voice puts focus on the receiver of the action rather than the doer of that action.

Add the prepositional phrase with the preposition by:

The moon is hidden by zombies.
He was forgotten by zombies.
My clothes get washed by zombies.

The preposition by names the doer of the action.

In the active voice these sentences would read:
Zombies washed my clothes.
Zombies forgot him.
Zombies hid the moon.

Why zombies?
We could easily say by me, by my mom, by vampires etc., but zombies are right now are a big part of popular culture right now from movies like Night of the Living Dead or the hit TV show The Walking Dead. So as an expression of humor we compose passive sentences using 'by zombies' to ease our fears from that thing that scares us.

**Warning**
The passive voice has more complicated grammar structures and this is just skeletal outline of how to identify, write and speak passive sentences that are read and heard by zombies!

Happy learning!

P.S. Don't forget to include your own passive voice 'by zombies' sentences in the comments. I look forward to reading them.

Some People Say That,

Let's look at a question type from the Eiken level 2 test,

Some people say that,
This phrase means that people have a specific idea, solution or opinion about a topic on:

• how to do something
• an answer to a problem
• a worldview 
• a criticism or feeling

Relating to culture, the environment, business, technology, entertainment or just about anything in our world today. To say some people means that on a topic many people agree on the same idea, solution, or opinion.

When prompt to answer about our own idea, solution, or opinion to the statement, Some people say that..., we our asked this question:

What do you think about that?*

Be prepared to:

• Agree; Yes, I agree. I think that...(your opinion)
• Disagree; No, I disagree. I think that...(your opinion)

*This is a common question not only in the Eiken, but in everyday conversations.

Example:
Some people say that, learning a second language becomes harder when you're an adult compared to when you're a child. What do you think about that?

Agree; Yes, I agree. I think that when you're a child your brain is still developing and open to learning new words easily in a second language. Children also have lots of time, the sooner they start to learn a second language the better chance they have to be fluent as an adult.

Disagree; No, I disagree. I think that no matter how old you are your able to learn a second language when you have the motivation and determination to do so. When you're a child you don't want to study or do things that are hard, but as an adult your able to find fun and enjoyment in them.

Question:
Some people say that, we should make use of rainwater in our daily lives. What do you think about that? 
Post your answer to Voice Thread. We want to hear what you have to say! Don't have a Voice Thread account? Check out my past post on How to Use Voice Thread.  



Happy learning!

How to: The Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This is a cooking class based on an American classic The Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

It's a very simple recipe and very easy to follow.

Ingredients

• Bread
• Cheese
• Butter or Margarine 

Optional ingredients

• Tomato 
• Cucumber

 Steps

1.Spread the butter evenly across the bread.

3. Put the slice of cheese onto the bread in the pan.

4. Put the second piece of bread butter side up on top of the first piece.

5. Fry for up to 5 minutes or till browning occurs then flip the sandwich over. 6. Fry the opposite side for up to 5 minutes or till browning occurs then put onto a plate.

7. After cooling enjoy!

If you make this delicious American recipe please share photos of your creation.

Also, if you want to share your home countries easy made food recipe please share.

Happy learning!