1 word in 1,000,000

The Global Language Monitor ahs just announced that the one millionth word/phrase in the English language is Web 2.0.

However, Oxford English Dictionary management  says the word has been in print since 2004.

A little controversy in the exciting world of English =)

English-learning Cults??

I have always been amazed by tales of 5,000 strong English classes in China, and this intriguing video on TED.com confirms the stories.  Can this really work? Judge for yourself - and pay attention to the rote phrases they are learning

Tips to Improve Your English Listening Skills

Without doubt, listening is one of the more difficult skills to improve when you are learning English.  When you listen, you rely on the quality and clarity of the speaker.

When I moved from Canada to Australia, I had trouble understanding approximately 5-10% of most conversations due to slang and the accent…and I’m a native English speaker!

Here are a few tips to help you develop your English listening skills:

Tips for Developing English Reading Skills

ESL students often ask me how to improve their reading skills. Unlike speaking and listening, reading skills development is something a learner can do alone, therefore is a skill that can improve quickly. Here are some useful tips:

1.  Do not try to understand every word you read.  Reading exposes you to new language, but it is not a ‘vocabulary’ activity.  Focus on developing reading comprehension - understanding the main ideas in the text, and searching for key information.

Word of 2008

Bailout. . .that sums up the year we’ve had. . .a rescue from financial distress.

Mirriam-Webster has released the most popular words searched for online this year: bailout, vet, socialism, maverick, bipartisan, trepidation, precipice, rogue, misogyny, and turmoil.

Between the banks and stock markets crashing, and the candidates in the US election, I  suspect ‘vet’ wasn’t being searched in terms of sick animals =)

Free English - English Dictionary Software

Did you know that over 1.5 billion people in the world speak English and that over a billion more people are currently learning how to speak English?

However, accessibility to resources for learning or perfecting English can be a challenge for some - especially in more remote geographic areas. For that reason, Englishlink developed its online English lesson resource tools which provide global accessibility to English speaking teachers.

ESL week in Ontario

November 9-15th will mark English As a Second Language Week in Ontario, Canada.

During this annual event, the ESL teaching and learning community promotes the development of English skills in new arrivals, refugees, and international students.  In addition, the general public’s awareness of the need to assist these people to integrate into the community is heightened.  Another goal of the week is to highlight the contribution of educators.

Voter Confusion

In a country like the United States, the number of English As a Second Language speakers (or LEP as they are referred to there) is a major issue in the voting process. When the margins are as close as they are predicted to be in next week’s US presidential election, every vote counts. Ensuring that speakers of languages other than English vote correctly is critical.

Move Over TOEFL…

This likely will not come as a surprise to most professionals in the ESL industry, but IELTS is beginning to compete with TOEFL in the United States.

IELTS has traditionally been used in the Commonwealth countries (with the exception of Canada), while the US has favored TOEFL results.

While many Ivy League schools have been using IELTS over the past couple of years, Yale is the most recent university accepting both test results from overseas students. Surprisingly, Harvard requires no English-language proficiency assessment for undergrads.

Bushism 7

More than two decades later, it is hard to imagine the Revolutionary War coming out any other way.” George W. Bush, Martinsburg, W. Va., July 4, 2007.

I believe the time reference is centuries?