Search found 97 matches

by stephen
Sat Jun 27, 2009 9:54 am
Forum: Adult Education
Topic: Seven Hour English Class, Need Ideas Help!
Replies: 2
Views: 2837

It depends what the needs and levels of your students are. Firstly, how good are they at English? If there weak (for someone wanting to do an MBA/PHD in English), then you will be doing more remedial-general English work. However, if they are at a level close to where they need to be to study an MBA...
by stephen
Sat Jun 13, 2009 6:01 pm
Forum: Adult Education
Topic: Negative and Unmotivated Student
Replies: 4
Views: 3586

If he sent by the company, maybe they can sought him out.

If his company are sending him, maybe they can sought him out. It depends on the company, of course. If it's in house, maybe it would be a good idea to have a chat with personnel. I don't know if he is in a class with other students from outside his company or with students from his company. However...
by stephen
Mon Feb 26, 2007 3:28 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: The worst relative pronoun exercises you've ever seen...
Replies: 17
Views: 10058

I realise this is not a relative pronoun exercise but a modal one. However, it is a fine example of Taiwan's government's high school textbooks. All the material is generally this bad! Excuse me, _______ you speak English? A can B could C would D do My boss at the time at the time insisted the answe...
by stephen
Mon Feb 26, 2007 3:17 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Which is stronger might or may?
Replies: 28
Views: 10351

Having read the comments so far it seems to me that any of you who plan to explain this to your students in terms of stronger/weaker are on very thin ice. Get a decent sized group of native speakers and you'll not get agreement, for evidence please read the above blog. I also find that in general it...
by stephen
Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:58 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: who had/with
Replies: 11
Views: 3158

I would tend to use who had like this with the gangster example. The policeman who had a handgun shot the gangster. The policeman shot the gangster who had a handgun . I feel that here with presents too much ambiguity. The fact is, of course, that usually it doesn't matter whether you use who had or...
by stephen
Sun Feb 25, 2007 1:52 am
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: What kind of feedback do you give after tests? Does it work?
Replies: 7
Views: 3522

Selena Why I feel that feedback is useless in improving proficiency, can I think, be illustrated by John's comments. Feedback offers a good platform for refining test taking strategies. This, of course, assumes that taking and passing tests is student's primary goal. In John's case, as he mentions h...
by stephen
Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:21 am
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: ESL/EFL prescriptivists
Replies: 50
Views: 17116

This would be a mistake that doesn't necessarily carry over from their own language, such as when they say he for both genders because there's no difference in spoken Chinese Yes, I also live in Taiwan and agree that these mistake happen, but this does not mean that mistakes by adult L2 learners an...
by stephen
Wed Jan 17, 2007 3:45 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: ESL/EFL prescriptivists
Replies: 50
Views: 17116

On descriptive vs pescriptive language, I think that Stephen Jones has it right. A descriptivist perspective takes a form as acceptable or not acceptable based on whether it is standard usage in a large enough group of native speakers. On the other hand, a pescriptive perspective tells you all that ...
by stephen
Wed Jan 17, 2007 3:32 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: ESL/EFL prescriptivists
Replies: 50
Views: 17116

Non-native speaker learners use the same language as native five year olds? I have yet to have a conversation about shopping involving Gucchi handbags, Versace, or Burrberry (which my students assured me is from England -amazing what you learn in class isn't it :D ) with a bunch of 5 year olds of a...
by stephen
Wed Jan 17, 2007 3:08 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: What kind of feedback do you give after tests? Does it work?
Replies: 7
Views: 3522

I mean re-sign. Thank you for reminding me I should proof read even when I am about to time-out in an internet cafe.
by stephen
Wed Jan 10, 2007 1:32 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: What kind of feedback do you give after tests? Does it work?
Replies: 7
Views: 3522

Hi all Delfina says giving feedback is useless and it doesn't work. This is possibly correct in terms of improving the student's English language proficiency; however, there are several other things you must consider. Firstly, cultural expectations are important. If it is culturally unacceptable to ...
by stephen
Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:25 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: How to be a good teacher who teaches the beginners?
Replies: 5
Views: 2729

Listening is in my opinion the number one skill at this level. If they cannot hear it, they will not say it correctly!! For pronunciation this can be done by asking students to choose between pairs of problem sounds, preferably within words. (This is known as using minimal pairs ) For example, did t...
by stephen
Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:07 am
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Pro-American.
Replies: 14
Views: 4487

toeflsmeagle I disagree with everything you've said in this and the anti-American post As I pointed out in the anti-American thread The perspective shown in many American textbooks have extremely strong political and cultural positions although they are not openly presented as such. In that I mean t...
by stephen
Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:00 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Using "anti-American".
Replies: 56
Views: 18359

Enough of this political nonsense. Some people in this thread should take their snide, bitter, largely unsupported comments elsewhere. quote] Wow! A newbie with attitude. In a few weeks you'll be the boss of the forum. :evil: Metal Way back at the begining I was concerned that this post would end u...
by stephen
Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:22 am
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Using "anti-American".
Replies: 56
Views: 18359

This might be of interest to some of you: The Patriot Act: The Home Version. Kind of like Monopoly with civil liberties instead of money. Read about it here. http://www.wbz1030.com/topic/ap_news.php?story=AP/APTV/National/a/a/PatriotActGame-aa To download go here. (It's free) http://www.graphix4chan...