A FEW DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AMERICAN AND BRITISH ENGLISH

These two varieties of English (American and British) are very similar. However, there are a few differences of grammar and spelling, and rather more differences of vocabulary and idiom. Anyhow, modern British English is heavily influenced by American English. So, some of the contrasts are disappearing. The following is the example of differences;
SPELLING
American English vs British English
aluminum aluminium; analyze analyse; catalog catalogue; center centre; check cheque; color colour; defense defence; honor honour; jewelry jewellery; labor labour;pajamas pyjamas; paralyze paralyse; practice practise; program programme;
realize realise; theater theatre; tire tyre; traveler traveler; whiskey whisky;
welcome wellcome

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VOCABULARY
American English vs British English
airplane - aeroplane; anyplace - anywhere; apartment - flat; area code - dialing code; attorney, lawyer - barrister, solicitor; busy - engaged (phone); cab - taxi;
call collect -reverse the charge; can - tin; candy - sweet; check - bill;
coin-purse - purse; cookie, cracker - biscuit; corn - sweet corn, maize; crib - cot;
crazy - mad; cuffs - turn-ups; diaper - nappy; doctor’s office - doctor’s surgery;
dumb - stupid; elevator - lift; eraser - rubber; fall - autumn; faucet - tap;
first floor - ground floor; second floor - first floor; flashlight - torch;
flat tire - puncture; french fries - chips; garbage, trash - rubbish;
garbage can - dustbin; gasoline - petrol; gear shift - gear level;
highway, freeway - main road, motorway; hood - bonnet (on a car);
intersection - crossroads; mad angry; mail - post; mean - nasty; movie - film;
one-way ticket - single ticket;
pants - trousers; pavement - road surface; pitcher - jug; potato chips - crisps;
railroad - railway; raise - rise (in salary); rest room - public toilet;
round trip - return journey (ticket); schedule - time table; sidewalk - pavement;
sneakers - trainers; stand in line - queue; stingy - mean(op of generous);
store - shop; subway - underground; truck - van, lorry; trunk - boot (of a car);
two weeks - fortnight; vacation - holiday; windshield - windscreen; zee - zed (letter “z”); zipper - zip.

WRITING A PARAGRAPGH

To beginners, writing – specifically writing a paragraph – is something confusing. Writing demands us to be imaginative. We have to be able to express our thoughts or ideas in it. Not to mention that our writing should be grammatically eligible.

In a classroom activity, a teacher usually gives students a task of writing a paragraph in certain number of words (75, or 100 words). This indirectly affects students in the way they develop the paragraph since there are at least two streams working in the brain: thinking of how to adopt correct grammar rules and how to develop the paragraph adequately.

The following tips hopefully can help you have strategy of how to write a paragraph effectively. A paragraph, theoretically, has two elements in it: a topic sentence and supporting sentences. The topic sentence functions as the anchor about what all supporting sentences describe. The supporting sentences, on the other hand, are to support the topic sentence by describing, explaining or arguing it.

Let’s say, we want to write about “Our City”. Next after we’ve got the topic, we have to choose what type of paragraph we want to write it in: narrative, argumentative, expository, or descriptive.
1.Narrative is a paragraph which is written in a story-telling way in supporting the topic sentence.
2.Argumentative is a paragraph developed by giving our arguments or reasons to the chosen topic sentence.
3.Expository is a paragraph developed by exposing factual data (number of population, the founding year, etc.) that support the topic sentence.
4.Descriptive is a paragraph developed by describing the topic sentence with detail explanation, examples or definition.
(click here TO LEARN MORE).

TIPS TO WRITE A PARAGRAPH

It might have become a common problem that we very often encounter. We are confused with how to develop a paragraph coherently with adequate supporting sentences.

A paragraph is considered good if it is unified and coherent. Unity means a paragraph has a topic sentence and supporting sentences. Coherence means the relationship among sentences in the paragraph runs smoothly.

Here are the tips to do so:
1.Start a paragraph with a good topic sentence, e.g.: ”We must take care of our city from being environmentally deteriorated”.

2.From the topic sentence we find that the point we must develop is “take care of our city from being environmentally deteriorated”. Next, we just ask ourselves by using 5 W and 1 H; “how” to do it (descriptive), “why” we do it (argumentative), “when” to do it (expository) etc.

3.Next, we develop it sentence by sentence.
You know what, once you're finished with a sentence, don't think too hard to write the next sentence. Just see the just finished one and find the key word (s). Develop the key word (s) to be the next sentence, and so on and so forth.
Here is the complete process: “We must take care of our city from being environmentally deteriorated. We can do it by reducing gas emission and dumping the garbage into the right place”. In that second sentence we find two points that we can develop to be the next sentences, they are: “by reducing gas emission” and “by dumping the garbage into the right place”.
Just see the two points and start explaining them. When the new sentence is already created, see it again and find the point and explain it in the next sentence. When the next new sentence is successfully created, see it again and find the point and explain it to be the next sentence. Do it just the same way until we think that the supporting sentences are already adequate in supporting the topic sentence.
The complete paragraph is almost done;
“We must take care of our city from being environmentally deteriorated. We can do it by reducing gas emission and dumping the garbage into the right place. Restricting the use of private cars is one of the ways to reduce gas emission. The restriction will be effective if government provides regulation of how to do it. Government can include in the regulation the assembling year of a car which is allowed to run. It is important to do so because the older the car, the more pollution it produces. By enforcing such a restriction, the gas emission can hopefully be reduced. Besides reducing gas emission, dumping the garbage into the right place is another important act to do. As we know that garbage is a complicated problem for a city. While the production of garbage takes place excessively due to the development of the city, the way out to dump it does not get enough care from all citizens. Some citizens still carelessly dump it in any place, in the street, into the river or in other water streams."

4.If we think that we have written adequate supporting sentences, we can close the paragraph with concluding sentence:“In short, since those two problems, gas emission and garbage, are the main factors that bring about the environmental deterioration of a city, we have to control them wisely for the sake of our city".
5.Read again your paragraph. Give final touch to it by editing and or inserting necessary transitional markers to make it more coherent.
(click here TO LEARN MORE).

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WHY MASTERING ENGLISH?!

Globalization has pushed everybody in this world to accept it whatever it is. Nobody can flea from any situation globalization brings about. No choice, but take it. All takes place by force and insists on our uncompromised readiness.

To be ready with it, however, we need to equip ourselves with stocks of self-survival supplies – one of them is English.

Globalization and English are just a two-faced coin; we can not take only one side of it. They are completely cohesive and inseparable. It is English which has accelerated the globalization. So, being absent of English savvy will just refuge us to unmanned area. We just can go nowhere, do nothing, target no goal, grab no yield, or worse live no life. Is it that serious?

Just leave your beloved sanctuary – bedroom. Step out to the street right in front of your house and decide where to roam. The signs before your eyes are all in English. You are mall goers want to have lunch, all the menus are in English. You want to apply for a job, make a work report, submit a lecturing summary; English is the language you need no matter in what country you live: English speaking or non-English speaking.

Thus, it is very clear that we only can encounter the inevitable globalization by having a good command of English. So, here I come to share the tips and strategies about how to learn English easily. Do not ever hesitate to come by and read my postings and share comments or ideas!

STEP THREE: BE BRAVE TO PRACTICE

Practicing speaking, as a matter of fact, is the crucial stage – for learners – in mastering English. As verbal skill, speaking reflects our thorough mastery of English and, that'swhy this practice is a must to take place. The more we practice, the faster we master it. “Practice makes perfect”.(click here)

The problem in a non-English speaking country like Indonesia is national language is something that people must hold up to. So, people prioritize using it before using other languages. Consequently, English is positioned as a foreign language rather than as a first or second one. It brings about speaking English something uncommon or weird. Even more, people dub those who speak it in daily life as arrogant.

Time goes by. Modern or global era takes over the control. The era that brings about rapid change in all aspects of life is driven by English language. So, it is not about nationalism or what that urges us to speak English more. It is about how to survive, to win or to encounter the global era. There is no territorial border to defend by a country but to open all entrances for the so called global era. And English is the key to opening them.

Therefore, we – learners – need to take for granted the people’s ridiculousness towards our speaking English. We have to be brave to practice it more frequently in all situations and at all time. We can do it with friends, parents, school or classmates, or with officemates. Remember, practice makes perfect.

Some tips to accomplish such a purpose are as follows:
1. We invite friends to establish a club of ENGLISH CONVERSATION (click here).
2. We create an imaginary interlocutor with whom we can practice speaking anywhere and anytime.
3. We spare a little time everyday to write a dialog or two.
4. We sing English songs in a loud voice rather than in a soft one.
5. We better read English newspaper or magazine loudly than silently.

STEP TWO: BE RICH IN VOCABULARY

Vocabulary is indeed the core element through which a language can cross a message. Vocabulary functions to transform our thoughts into an understandable series of speech and transmit it to any interlocutor who has equal schemata. It is the vocabulary that allows us to maximize expressing a language we use fluently.

English vocabulary, to some learners, is a part that is difficult to master. Such a perception comes up due to the difference between the SPELLING(click here) of the vocabulary and the PRONUNCIATION (click here). It, then, calls for learners’ extra effort to be rich in.

In addition, English learners also need to equip themselves with IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION (click here) and COLLOQUIAL (click here). Idiomatic expression is a compound vocabulary representing a certain meaning which is usually more figurative but effective. Colloquial is certain expression made up and used for informal daily conversation.

Frustrated with TOEFL Test

For many of us who adopt English as a foreign language, TOEFL (click here) has become a serious matter. It is so because we are not used to using English in our daily life. Such an absence of frequent exposure to English brings about hindrance when we are taking TOEFL test. In fact, we very often have to deal with English: when are preparing for job application, reports, or academic assignments. Or when we are to fulfill the requirement for job promotion or scholarship, TOEFL score is just as necessary.To reach our expected score of the test, no other choice but we must do the PRACTICE TEST (click here) in advance.

In order for us to cope with the problem during taking the test ,however, it is important that we equip ourselves with some practical tips and strategies to do TOEFL test, as follows:
1.Be relaxed.
When doing TOEFL test, being relaxed is very important. Relax helps us concentrate well on analyzing the test problems. To gain relax, we have to be well-prepared early on the test day, such as coming earlier to the venue, having got meal, being well-equipped, and so on.
2.Be focused.
Being focused helps us deal with every test problems effectively. To reach the focus, we need to have a concentration management in encountering each part of the test: Listening, Structure, and reading.
3.Know what to do.
TOEFL test insists us on having a very good command of listening, structure and written expression, and reading. To have all the aspects ready, we need to recognize the effective strategies to do the test. Each part of TOEFL test, however, needs its own strategy.
1. Strategies for Listening Part.
A.During listening to the audio, we had better take a look at the options of answer. Seeing the options helps us identify the clues. The answer to the question is around the clue.
B.In the listening to dialogs part, we had better concentrate on listening to the second speaker/ person. The answer to the questions mostly implies the speech of the second speaker/ person.
C.In the listening to mini talks part, concentrating on listening to the first part and or the last part of the talks will enable us to identify the right answer easily. This part mostly insists us on identifying the topic, main idea or the main detail of the talks.
2.Strategies for Structure and Written Expressions
A. To be able to analyze each sentence so that we can find the mistaken part easily, we have to see the sentence thoroughly. Then we make sure that the basic parts of o sentence are there: Subject, Predicate, and Object. If the sentence lacks one of them, we choose the option that best fits the missing part.
B. Next, we analyze the parts that function as modifiers: Adjective or Adverb. If they are not correctly used, that is the choice.
C. After that we identify the use of prepositions. Are they all used correctly?. If we find mistake, that is the choice.
D. Finally, we have to make sure that the parts of speech used in the sentence are correct. If we find mistake, that is the choice.
3.Strategies for Reading Comprehension
A. We should not let reading the reading passage take the big portion of our time. We just need to directly see the options in the question parts, and get a clue.
B. We make use of the clue to get the answer in the reading passage by scanning.
C. For the questions requiring us to identify the topic of the reading passage, we just need to see the first or last part of it.
D. We should not bother with the content of the reading passage since it will only burden our mind.
HERE ARE SOME MORE PRACTICE TESTS
Just give it a try, and Good Luck!
***PRACTICE TEST 1 (click here)
***PRACTICE TEST 2 (click here)
***PRACTICE TEST 3 (click here)

STEP ONE:BE FAMILIAR WITH HOW ENGLISH IS STRUCTURED

It is inevitable that Grammar is the most important part of English. No matter how fluent we are in speaking English or how rich we are in English vocabulary, if our way of speaking is not well-structured, it may trigger misunderstanding or misinterpretation. How come!

Just realize that English depends much on grammar to make it understandable. It is grammar that composes the meaning behind our message reveals perfectly. English insists on our consistency in its structure when using it, be it when speaking or when writing. It is different from our mother tongue (e.g. Indonesian) which puts meaning behind the context of a sentence rather than of an individual word. In other words, the meaning of our speech is still well-understood regardless the misuse of individual structure of vocabulary.

English, on the other hand, needs our perfection to structure its individual vocabulary and the whole sentence. Thus, all our speech must be perfectly structured. To understand how we can reach the perfection English calls for, first of all; we must be familiar with what the so-called “PARTS OF SPEECH”.

WHAT IS PARTS OF SPEECH? (click here)

“Words are divided into different kinds or classes according to the purpose that they are used for. The different kinds of words are called Parts of Speech”(American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language).
There are eight PARTS OF SPEECH, they are: (click here)

1. Noun
2. Pronoun
3. Verb
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

There are only 7 parts of speech (not too many, right!). All of us know what every of them means lexically. As a matter of fact, it is not the meaning that we all need to be familiar with. We must understand how they function in our speech.

To understand the function of Parts of Speech, we can start by knowing what the basic structure of a sentence. Before we discuss further, however, we have to start with what Parts of Speech are characterized. (To be continued)

EFFECTIVE STEPS TO LEARNING ENGLISH (PART I)

Learning English has become a part of our daily routines. We have done it since we were still very young: even before school years. Some of us can master it easily, while others seem to be distressed of it. What makes it so?.

Learning English, for us who live in a non-English speaking country, calls for effective steps or strategies. For this, we can formulate our own, take after those who have been successful, or learn the steps or strategies from books or other resources. Their effectiveness, however, depends on our executing them in action. Here, I am trying to share with you all how we can apply very effective steps or strategies to learning English.

In my belief, there are (only) three steps to learning English effectively, they are:
1.familiar with how English is structured
2.rich in vocabulary
3.brave to practice

Those steps seem to have no difference from what we have applied in our learning so far. All of us have been very familiar with them. But, what makes my formula different is how to execute the steps in maximizing our learning. What’s that? Let’s dig them up one by one.(to be continued)

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