Teacher Discussion Forums

Gotta agree with Lorikeet that "ch" = "tsh." Spanish speakers often pronounce an initial "ch" as an "sh" (saying "challenge" as "shallenge," for example). I've been getting them to correct it by telling them that the "ch" in "challenge" is the same as the "ch" in "much." In a sense, the "tch" in suc...

Is that really okay to have two question marks (not counting the one in "Could I do that?") in one question?

What a Spanish speaker says when spelling her name:

"My name is Lourdes. L ... O ... ehhh ... U ... ehhhh ... R ... D ... ehhh ... E ... S"

What a native English speaker hears that Spanish speaker saying:

"My name is Lourdes. L ... O ... A ... U ... A ... R ... D ... A ... E ... S."

Yes, but how can you include 'with the word "that" referring to "speaking English with me?"' Also, is it correct to put that last question mark inside or outside the quotations marks?

Which is best?

a) Did you mean to say this:

"Could I do that?"

with the word "that" referring to "speaking English with me?"

b) Did you mean to say this?

"Could I do that?"

with the word "that" referring to "speaking English with me."

c) Some other variation of the punctuation.

I've been reading H. Douglas Brown's Teaching by Principles, 2nd ed., and he uses the above/mentioned distinction between error and mistake, as well as the term "fossilization." Different experts use different terminology.

I would say that it means that the President believes that he is the one primarily responsible for the success of each accomplishment.

I guess that it would mean that she is totally immersed in confusion. However, I would never write or say a sentence like that. To me, it sounds like bad English.

Is it our main responsibility as language teachers to help produce language users whose primings harmonise with those already in positions of influence or power (see below)? This could be so, but only to a certain extent. In learning a second language, we make it possible for ourselves to be influe...

Doesn't "vision" here refer to perspective or foresight?

These posters will surely be worth millions in years to come!" "What will this nation be in years to come?" I think those mean 'after several years have passed from now'. "She will be teaching English in years to come." She will not be teaching English for several years, right? Could that also mean...

As I understand this, "take" means "view" in this expression. "To do a double take" is to look at something, then look away, and then look again because you don't believe or are very surprised by what you see.

Definitely a.

Stephen, This distinction does not exist only in my own head. As I mentioned, I am only passing on what some other teachers have told me. I don't know how popular this distinction is, or where it came from. I also suspect that it is not in the dictionary. However, I have encountered more than one te...

I had never heard that there was a difference between a mistake and an error until a certain trainer of mine brought it up. A mistake is a wrong response that if you thought about it you would realize is wrong. An error is a wrong response because you have no knowledge about what the right answer is...