An ESL blog

According to this news the word “Canadian” is a derogatory term in southern part of America denoting black people.

….the more I learn about English, the more I see what I lack. The process of learning English has also become a process of learning about life. Now I know that learning and progressing is what life is all about. There is no limit in learning of knowledge.

This is from a Chinese language website where some one wrote about his/her experience in learning language.
Read the article here….(name is written in Chinese I guess)

The following tips are from the blog post 10 tips to improve the way you speak English

Except the first tips rest of them sounds like a good advice.
i. Observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well and try to imitate them.
ii. Until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English, slow your speech down.
iii. Listen to the ‘music’ of English.
iv. Use the dictionary.
v. Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to pronounce and ask someone who speaks the language well to pronounce them for you.
vi. Buy books on tape.
vii. Pronounce the ending of each word.
viii. Read aloud in English for 15-20 minutes every day.
ix. Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes.
x. Be patient.

I had a chance to look at an ebook of English conversations. It contains more than 100 situational conversations. I believe its a great resource for English learners. As an introductory offer its been sold for $25 for limited period.

Mostly new language learners think that lack of words is the main obstacle in speaking but the truth is lack of phrases is the main reason behind not to speak a language thoroughly. By knowing lots of phrases our language usage can be improved a lot. This book is worth the price. Go and have a look here. English Conversations.

I have received couple of emails asking about TOEFL preparation courses offered in Canada after I wrote about preparing for TOEFL post . I didn’t take any courses because they are very expensive, instead I prepared myself using various materials(CDs and books). I found some additional resources while I was searching for some books on the internet.

Peterson’s TOEFL success is also on the amazon bookstore for $25, but in the publishers site there are more books specific to each area writing skills, reading skills and TOEFL vocabulary. In addition to TOEFL they provide resources for various exams like GRE,GMAT, LSAT, NCLEX ,MCAT and MAT. Canadian users can take advantage of strong Canadian dollar by buying in US dollars.
Study Guides :

Master the TOEFL Writing Skills

Master the TOEFL Reading Skills

Master the TOEFL Vocabulary

Here are some tips from Peterson’s TOEFL guide.

Prepare with a Practice Test
Practice tests are an ideal way to begin your preparation. They’re affordable and will give you instant results to see how you might score if the test were today. You’ll learn your strengths and weakness, and be able to develop a personalized study plan. Try prepping with Peterson’s practice tests for the TOEFL.

Approach the test with a plan
Spend enough time preparing that you know where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Having this kind of understanding can help you decide where to focus your energies. Work first on questions that deal with your strengths and make sure to answer them correctly. Then move on to questions that are more challenging for you. The only way you’ll be able to use your time wisely is to know where your abilities are beforehand.

Be well-rehearsed
Practice makes permanence! If you set aside time in a quiet place to take some practice exams, you’ll be ready for the rigors of sitting in a chair and focusing on test material for a few hours. You can also use this opportunity to assess where you need to spend more time studying.

Be ready for test conditions
It’s a good idea to dress in layers and bring a sweater or sweatshirt because the temperature in the testing room may be warmer or colder than you anticipated.

Reading Comprehension
Skim the passage first to get a sense of the main idea. You can always go back and look up specifics. Answer the questions that ask about vocabulary words and details first. Then work on questions that ask you about the main idea or require you to make inferences.

Structure and Grammar
Think about the simplest, clearest way to express an idea. If an answer choice sounds awkward or overly complicated, chances are good that it’s wrong.

Speaking and Listening
Become as familiar with the English language as you can, including learning vocabulary words and idioms. Practice working with the language in everyday life; this will help you become more comfortable with it and understand it better.

Writing
Planning for a few minutes before writing will help you to write a more focused and organized essay. It is also important to develop your ideas and express them clearly, using examples to back them up. Although the essay doesn’t need to be grammatically perfect, try to make as few errors as possible. Always save a few minutes at the end to proofread.

Follow this link to Prepare For The TOEFL Test
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Update : 2007 - 2008 list of Universities which accept TOEFL results for English competency.