Experience English

Best Practices: Read Articles To Learn Vocabulary And Experience English

Reading is a great way to learn vocabulary and grammar constructions. Moreover, it helps you feel more comfortable using a language.

Here is a website that offers articles on different topics (subjects). The articles are written in easy, understandable English for learners. In each article, challenging words are in bold (black). You can find definitions for the words at the end of each article.

Click here to read articles in English

I like the website, English-Online, because there are a variety of interesting topics and each article is rich in vocabulary.

I encourage you to practice by reading articles on subjects that you find interesting. In addition, you could also read about topics that you are not familiar with to learn about new things.

Have fun and experience English!

Play Scrabble Sprint

To help you think in English when you are under pressure or when there are time constraints, play Scrabble Sprint! Scrabble Sprint is a fast and fun word game. The object of the game is to create words from the letters you have on the screen.

To play Scrabble Sprint, please follow the instructions on the screen:

Click on the letters you see on your screen (or type the letters on your keyboard) to create a word.
After you create your word, Do not forget to click on PLAY or press ENTER to play your word. The more words you create, the more time you have to play.
Click here to play Scrabble Sprint!

Have fun and think in English!

Tell me your best scores by leaving a comment below or in a message by E-mail at kaufman.terry@gmail.com, if you like.

To learn how to leave a comment, please click for instructions in English or click for instructions in French. It is not necessary to have a Google account. After you type your comment, click on the menu, "Comment as" ("choisir une identité") and choose "Name" or "Anonymous".

Expression: To Take A Hit

TO TAKE A HIT

IN FRENCH = PRENDRE UN COUP

Examples:

- Over (for, during a period of) the past 12 months, the Buffalo Niagara Falls region lost 800 jobs in the service industry. The region also took a hit in retail trade, losing 600 jobs.

- Facebook Inc.'s stock took a hit Monday after an article in the financial magazine Barron's said it is "still too pricey (expensive)" despite a sharp decline (decrease) since its initial public offering.

- "The capacity of Britain's economy to produce goods and services has taken a hit," Bank of England's Paul Fisher said on Tuesday.

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

Can you think of an example to use this expression in a sentence?

Leave your example in a comment below or send me an example by E-mail at kaufman.terry@gmail.com, if you like.

Source: English For Business

To learn how to leave a comment, please click for instructions in English or click for instructions in French. It is not necessary to have a Google account. After you type your comment, click on the menu, "Comment as" ("choisir une identité") and choose "Name" or "Anonymous".

Writing Activity - Haiku - Autumn!

Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry. A traditional poem consists of three lines and a total of 17 syllables. There are five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line.

Autumn

Autumn has arrived

Colors change, leaves fall to die

After death comes birth

- Terry Kaufman

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

Write a haiku and express your creativity in English.

Tell me your haiku by leaving a comment below or in a message by E-mail at kaufman.terry@gmail.com, if you like.

Video Discussion: One Moment In Time

For three months, I took photos of nature, people, and objects that captivated me. The video below is a compilation of photos that I call, "One moment in time." (There is music, so please be sure your sound is on.)

Why "One moment in time?" I feel that to enjoy each moment, you must be in the present. The present is a gift to enjoy.

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

When do you take time to enjoy life?

When are your best moments in life?

When are your worst moments?

Did you take a photo that captured a precious moment in time?

Tell me by leaving a comment below or in a message by E-mail at kaufman.terry@gmail.com, if you like.

To learn how to leave a comment, please click for instructions in English or click for instructions in French. It is not necessary to have a Google account. After you type your comment, click on the menu, "Comment as" ("choisir une identité") and choose "Name" or "Anonymous".

Best Practices And Grammar Review: Are You Operational In English?

To communicate comprehensibly and clearly in English, there are four fundamental verb tenses to know. If you know them and use them correctly, you will not have any trouble expressing yourself. What is the secret? Be (super) operational!

In English, there are tenses we use to communicate routine and generalities, present actions, future plans and actions, and finished, past actions.We use the specific tenses all the time.

The Four Tenses To Know To Be (Super) Operational

Click on the image to make it bigger

To express routine and generalities, use the Present Simple:

I live in Paris.
I work as an English trainer.
I run three times a week.
I drink coffee every day.

Examples of time expressions that correspond to the present simple:

Every day
Once a week
Always
Never
All the time
Sometimes
From time to time

The idea is to associate the time expressions with the verb tense.

Asking questions: DO/DOES + SUBJECT + VERB

Do you always drink coffee in the morning?
Does she have a car?
Where do you live and work?
How often do you run?
To express present actions, use the Present Continuous:

I am creating a new exercise now.
We are using a computer at the moment.
I am wearing black shoes today.
She is currently working in London.

Examples of time expressions that correspond to the present continuous:

Now
At the moment
Today
At present
Currently (presently)

Remember to associate the time expressions with the verb tense.

Asking questions: AM/IS/ARE + SUBJECT + VERB+ING

Is she currently working in London?
What are you wearing today?
What are you doing now?
To express future plans and actions, we also use the Present Continuous:

Tomorrow, I am going to Rome. I am staying in a hotel from Monday to Wednesday.
I am travelling to Japan next month.
He is meeting the general manager on Friday at 2 PM.
They are giving a presentation to their clients tonight.

Examples of time expressions that correspond to the present continuous for the future:

Tomorrow
Next week/month/year
In June
At 12 PM

Do not forget to associate the time expressions with the verb tense.

Asking questions: AM/IS/ARE + SUBJECT + VERB+ING

Where are you going tomorrow?
Are you travelling to Japan next month on business?
Who is Tom meeting on Friday?
To express finished time and past actions, we use the Past Simple:

I went to New York last week.
She ate fish and chips for lunch yesterday.
They saw a movie last night.
I moved to Paris 18 years ago.

Examples of time expressions that correspond to the past simple:

Two days ago
On Monday
Last weekend/night/day/week
Yesterday morning/afternoon/evening

Again, associate the time expressions with the verb tense.

Asking questions: DID+SUBJECT+VERB

Did you go on holiday last month?
When did you go to the movies?
What did you do yesterday?

When do we use WILL?

We use WILL for predictions and future events. On the contrary, we use the present continuous for future plans and actions:

The meeting will be in Los Angeles from June 1 to June 3. (The meeting is a future event.)
I think I will go on vacation next month. (I did not make any plans yet. It is a prediction.)
I am going to Munich on Friday. (I bought my plane tickets and I made my hotel reservations. It is a future plan.)

If you have made plans for the future, use the present continuous to talk about a future plan or action.

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

Write a paragraph about your best friend. Explain what he/she does for a living (for work), present activities, past experiences and actions, and future plans. Practice using the verb tenses above to be operational in English and remember to use time expressions.

Listening And Writing: Satisfaction At Work

Job satisfaction is an important part of a person's life. A person often spends a lot of time and dedicates a lot of energy at work.

A recent survey (questionnaire) between April 16 and May 15 asked 411 workers in the US and Canada if they were satisfied with their jobs. The findings (results) were that 19% said they were satisfied with their jobs while the majority said they were not happy at work. (Click here to read the article on Forbes.com.)

The article says that the message to employers is that a lot of unhappy workers are not able to change jobs at the moment. Workers feel stuck (not capable of moving) because of the economic situation and financial crises around the world. The article also suggests that employers offer more training and opportunities to develop a career in their companies to help employees feel more satisfied.

Listening Activity on ESL Podcast

Click on the link below to read and listen to a dialog. Please click on the "Listen" button at the top of the page.

Working in a Dead End Job (having a job that cannot develop or transform into something better)

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

Are you satisfied with your job and your work?
What are the challenges and rewards (benefits, gains) of your work?
If you could make changes in your job to improve your work experience, what would you change?

Tell me by leaving a comment below or in a message by E-mail at kaufman.terry@gmail.com, if you like.