Seminar for International Teaching Assistants Session 2 “Learning the Language”

Seminar for International Teaching Assistants Session 2 “Learning the Language”

Introduction • (To Begin) • What is “Language”? • What is language used for? • Why is knowing how to speak a language important? • What can you accomplish with language? • What is necessary to know in order to effectively speak a language? • Vocabulary? Intonation? Anything else?

Overview • (Today I will explain) • Three very important components of effectively speaking a language are: • Pronunciation • Grammar • Phrases and Slang

(First) Pronunciation The Basics: Alphabet Sounds A aApple / Place B bBanana / Absolutely C cCat / Place * ChCheck / Arch D dDog / Addition E eElephant / Cheek / Please / Evil F fFrog / Giraffe G gGreen / Change H hHelp / Horse I IIce / Pickle / Piano J jJump / Joint K kKite / Park L lLike / Fall

Pronunciation M mMaybe / Arm N nNice / Piano O oOctopus / Dog / Food P pPineapple / Pizza Q qQuit / Question R rRock / Armchair S sSnake / Please * ShShape / Trash T tTime / Heart * ThThe / With U uUmbrella / Use V vVery / Even W wWant / Allowed / Yellow X x Fox / Xylophone Y yYes / Why / Mystery Z zZebra / Zoo

Pronunciation Practice: “Tongue Twisters” http://www.eslmania.com/students/accent_reduction/Tongue_twister_with_audio.htm Practice: Workbook page 22 Exercise 5 “Using your Dictionary”

(Next) Grammar • Pronouns: • http://a4esl.org/q/j/ck/mc-pronouns.html • Subject Verb Agreement: • http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/sv_agr_quiz.htm • http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/agreement_add1.htm • Verb tenses: • http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs30finaltest.htm

(Finally) Phrases and Slang Phrases: Actions speak louder than words: Proverb meaning that's it's better to do something about a problem than to talk about it. (To) be up to no good:To be planning something bad, mischievous, etc. ex. "I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was up to no good.“ (To) call it a day:To end work and go home. ex. "Let's call it a day. It's getting late." (My) hands are tied:Nothing can be done at this time – usually used when someone wants to do something but can’t at the moment (In or Out of) Comfort Zone:Being somewhere or doing something that is or isn’t something one is comfortable with Retrieved from: http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/americanidioms/ Practice: Workbook page 58 Exercise 4 “Using Phrases for Organizational Cues”

Phrases and Slang • What is “slang” – “the continual and ever-changing use and definition of words in informal conversation” www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=slang • When is it appropriate to use slang? • Examples: • Awesome (adj.): Great; Fantastic; Super: ex: "That was an awesome movie." • Bummed (adj.): Disappointed; Dejected ex: "He was really bummed about having lost the game." • Cheesy (adj.): Cheap, tacky. ex: "A cheesy pick-up line", "A cheesy song", etc. • Freak (n.): Strange person. *Freaky (adj.) something strange or weird • Gross (adj.): Disgusting. ex: "That's gross!"

Phrases and Slang Hang in there!: This basically means "don't give up!" Space out (v.): To lose oneself in thought, esp. when you should be paying attention to something else. To zone out. Give me a break: This phrase can be used to 1) express disbelief at something you think is untrue, or 2) to express disbelief that something is ridiculous (but true), expensive, etc. No Way / Are you Kidding? Hang Out: Wait somewhere or get together What’s up?/ What’s going on?: How are you? What’s happening? Cool: Good, okay, interesting. “That’s cool.” “He/She/It is cool.” Sort of: a little / maybe (Be) Straight: be honest Retrieved from: http://www.infosquares.com/americanslang/

(In Conclusion) Review • Why is Language important? • What are three of the most important components of becoming a fluent speaker of a language? • Questions ?

Seminar for International Teaching Assistants Session 2 “Learning the Language”