Spelling Tips for ESL Students

by Celia Webb

Spelling in English is hard even for those of us who have been practicing for years! For one thing there are so many exceptions to the rules.The English language actually has two basic types of words - words which are original to English and those adopted from other languages. Words which are original to English follow a few simple rules and are generally spelled as they sound. Words adopted from other languages go through a process called transliteration. Sounds from the foreign language will be represented by the English alphabet. Each language from which words have been adopted gets its own set of rules for how the sounds in that language will be represented in English. Since the English language has adopted words from many other languages, this can make for a very challenging number of spelling rules.

Nevertheless, there are some techniques you can use to increase your spelling accuracy. If you apply these tips you will improve your spelling and, therefore, your ability to communicate in English.

Really look at a word. When you encounter a new word or one you know you have trouble spelling, take the time to really look at the word closely. Try breaking the word into syllables and then imagine stringing them together like pearls to form the word. Take time to write the word on a scrap of paper, checking the spelling as you go against the correctly spelled word. Studying words in this way imprints an image of the word in your brain which you will use later when you write the word again. The more times you see the word correctly spelled, the more likely it is that you will be able to spell the word correctly when needed.

Sound it out. Although it is true that English words are not necessarily spelled the way they sound, many, many English words are. Say the word carefully and write down the letters which go with the sounds. The majority of the most commonly used words in English are phonetically spelled. You'll be glad to know that spelling champions use this technique when faced with a challenging word!

Play word games. All types of word games and puzzles can help you learn to spell. "Word searches", also called "word finds", help you learn the common spelling patterns. Crossword puzzles and scrabble rely on correct spelling for solutions. You can find books of word puzzles in bookstores and on-line. You can also search the Internet using keywords like "word search", "crosswords", "word games", and "word puzzles" to find more websites which offer games to play.

Practice spelling daily. Like so many skills in life, the more you practice the skill, the better you become at doing it. Spelling is no different. One way to do this is to post a new word on your mirror each day. Study it when you are brushing your teeth. Then jot it down on a slip of paper and put it in your wallet. Pull out your slip of paper while you are riding the bus or waiting in a line. Practice saying the word to yourself and then spelling it. Devoting some of your time to learning to spell will improve your spelling.

Get a spelling practice book. Since spelling is a known hazard in writing English, there are lots of practice books available to help you learn the spelling rules and practice the most commonly misspelled words. You can find these books in your library and at bookstores. Just ask the reference librarian or bookseller to help you find them.

Keep a spelling list. Everyone has words which are just plain troublesome. Every time you spell the word, it is wrong. When you find you are repeatedly having trouble with a particular word, add it to your spelling list. Keep this list in a small notebook or your iPod. Refer to your list when you need to use the word and that way you will spell it correctly each time.

Turn on "spell check". Spell check functions in word processing and e-mail programs will catch many bad spellings, so it makes sense to use this line of defense against poor spelling. However, having said that, I need to give a word of caution as well. Spell checkers rely on dictionaries supplied by the program. Often these dictionaries are short versions so they do not contain many words. You might get an error message about a word when there is no problem what so ever with the word. Pull out a more extensive dictionary to check your spelling if you know the word exists.

By practicing these techniques, you should see a big improvement in your ability to spell English words correctly.

About the Author

Celia Webb is an author, illustrator, and company executive. She and her husband, Mack H. Webb, Jr., founded Pilinut Press, Inc., publishing advanced readers for children and ESL students. Their website http://www.pilinutpress.com/ offers more free articles on developing reading-related skills, word games and puzzles, and activity sheets for their entertaining and educational books.

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Improving Your English for ESL Students

by Celia Webb

When you study English, you will probably reach a point where you feel you are no longer making progress. Once you can talk and read well enough to do common tasks, what do you do if you really want to be able to carry on a conversation naturally? Perhaps you wish to write well or read easily at a higher level. How do you get better? Read the tips below to perfect your English skills.

Ask for help. Your best resource is a native speaker who can tell you how to correctly pronounce a word or show you the way to use words in a sentence. Perhaps you know someone who would be willing to help you. If so, be brave and ask for their help. If you do not know anyone, you can find ESL teachers willing to help at "Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums" at http://forums.eslcafe.com/student/viewforum.php?f=22.

Practice, practice, practice. You will lose your English language skills if you do not use them. Make it a daily habit to practice your skills. You can find fun and interesting ways to practice on websites with a variety of learning activities. Try "Interesting Things for ESL Students" at http://www.manythings.org/. Search on the keyword "ESL" to find more helpful websites.

Study for the TOEFL. The Test of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL is the standard way to measure a student's understanding of and ability to use English. The test is normally taken by people wishing to attend an English university. Even if you do not plan to attend a university, you might want to try studying for this test because the process of studying for the test will improve your use of English. You can find all sorts of study tips and help on the internet by searching on the keyword "toefl". You can also check out study guides from local libraries or purchase study guides from a bookstore or over the internet.

Keep a vocabulary notebook. Building vocabulary is a key way to improve your use of English. Add at least one new word to your vocabulary each day. The word can come from something you read or from a "Word a Day" service which you will find on many websites. Dictionary.com is one such source and you can sign up for their free e-mailing service which will send the word directly to you. Study your new word. Look closely at how it is spelled. Read the definition. Write it out. Post it on your desk. Try to use the word in a sentence. Write it in your vocabulary notebook. The more times you use a word, the more likely it is you will remember it for future use.

Read English every day. Read newspapers, novels, travel guides, or websites. Read anything which is interesting to you and written in English. Keep your dictionary handy for the inevitable words you do not know, but challenge yourself to spend at least 30 minutes a day reading. You will gain reading speed, new vocabulary, and insight into the use of English.

Using the ideas above will lift your understanding of English to the next level. Study hard!

About the Author

Celia Webb is an author, illustrator, and company executive. She and her husband, Mack H. Webb, Jr., founded Pilinut Press, Inc., publishing advanced readers for children and ESL students. Their website http://www.pilinutpress.com/ offers more free articles on developing reading-related skills, word games and puzzles, and activity sheets for their entertaining and educational books.

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ESL Bingo

by S. Tanna

Any language which is widely used beyond the population of native speakers is known as a "lingua franca". Such languages are widely used, for example, in business and commerce, science, diplomacy and culture.During ancient times and right up until the late Middle Ages, two of the main lingua franca in Europe were Latin (mainly in Western Europe) and Greek (mainly in Eastern Europe). With the rise up of the Hapsburgs, Spanish became the language of international diplomacy, until it in turn was displaced in this field by French. Many other languages have at times sometimes severed as lingua franca for international communication, and some of these include German, Russian, Portuguese, Polish, classical Chinese, and Arabic. Nowadays, because of the former British Empire, the events of World War II, and the huge cultural, economic and political influence of the United States of America, English has become the dominant lingua franca of international commerce, science, technology and aviation. Additionally, English has become the leading language on the Internet, in part due to the fact that the Internet was first developed in the United States, in part due to the fact that English among the scientists and technologists who were the first heavy users of the Internet, and in part due to massive influence of technology businesses founded in English-speaking countries (especially the United States).

Given the importance of English, more and more people are wanting to learn the language. This in turn further entrenches the importance of understanding and speaking English, which encourages yet more people to learn English, and so on.

Many non-native speakers are, of course, able to pick up some English from hearing and seeing the language in daily use. It's also certainly true that an enormous number of people have learnt some English as a result of watching Hollywood movies, watching British or American TV programs, or listening to Western popular music. However, non-native speakers who wish to use English as part of their professional life, generally find that more formal education in English - studying "English as a Second Language" (sometimes also known as "English as a Foreign Language" - abbreviated to "ESL" or "EFL") - to be useful.

Teachers of ESL courses will generally aim to impart into their students a good knowledge of both spoken and written English. This will be done through various classroom activities including speaking, reading and writing the language, as well as classroom games.

One particular game that is increasingly popular in ESL courses is bingo. Bingo is ideal for teaching situations because it is very easy for students to learn and play, because it doesn't require expensive materials, and because it can be adapted to teaching numerous different topics. The game is played in class:-

1. Before class, the teacher prepares a set of bingo cards (one per student), containing the items to be taught or revised. Depending on the theme for the lesson, this might include numbers, dates, times, or English words (sight words - words that can not be sounded out, but are common in the English language, and must be recognized to achieve reading fluency - are particularly popular). Please note: although a small amount of preparation is needed, it is not something that teachers need worry much about - they can download ready-to-use free bingo printables from the Internet, or they can purchase low cost bingo card printing software which will allow them to print unlimited quantities of bingo cards on any theme or topic.

2. At the start of the class, each student is given a bingo card. The teacher acts as the bingo caller, and the students play, either marking off the items from their cards, or covering squares with a coin or counter if you wish to re-use the cards in a subsequent lesson.

Of course, since the purpose of the game is to practise English, it's very important that all game play and discussion during the game should be conducted in English! Enterprising teachers can also adapt the game play if they wish - for example, they could require the winning student to read out, in English, the items that they have ticked off.

About the Author

By S. Tanna. For free card printables, please go to http://www.bingocardscreator.com/ To create your own custom bingo cards, please go to http://www.bingocardprinter.com/

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How ESL Teaching benefits students?

Author: Mistina Thomson

"For long, ever since I heard of the concept of ESL Teaching, I was wondering if it gave any benefits to the students at all. After doing my research on ESL Teaching, I confirmed that ESL Job did give a lot of benefits to the teachers. But more importantly, it also provided a range of benefits for the students as well. I thought, I will do some more research on this aspect and find out more on the benefits to the students as well.

What are the benefits of ESL Teaching to students?

Firstly, students get trained in English from qualified professionals who apply for an ESL Job. Essentially, any teacher who does an ESL Job is qualified and certified to teach English. The ESL Certification to ESL Job applicants goes a long way in teachers imparting quality English education to students.

Secondly, students get to learn a new language called English. In most countries like China, Japan English has never been a focal point of education. In fact, to tell you the truth it has been neglected for ages. With the world opening its doors to these countries, these countries have realized that they need to open their doors to them too. One way of doing that is cutting all barriers of communication. Obviously, to keep pace and to understand what people from the West say, you would need tolearn English.

Thirdly, students become globally competent. It is needless to say that these countries are blessed with natural resources in abundance. One way of harnessing these natural resources is to tap them locally. The second and perhaps the more prudent way is for students to gain expertise in English. Their skills aside, their knowledge of English will enable to apply for exciting job opportunities overseas.

Macro-economically, ESL Teaching benefits students too

Speaking of ground level benefits, it is needless to say that the students of ESL Teaching stand benefited. Macro-economically too, it makes a lot of sense for ESL Teaching to a country. For example, English Teaching Jobs in China have been on the rise at the rate of 20% every year for the last two years. At this rate assuming that close to 90% of the positions are filled, we are talking of 1000 new English Jobs in China to be created in the next 10 years.

Talking too far, an ESL student could end up applying for an ESL Job. It would be a far-sighted scenario, but if the student is skilled enough to teach English, he could be a front runner for English Jobs in China.

All in all, ESL Teaching has proven to be beneficial to students. That, the number of students enrolling in ESL Teaching has seen a dramatic rise over the past couple of years goes to show the increase in popularity of ESL."

About the author: Ms Mistina Thomson, the author of this article. If you would like to find out more about http://www.esljobchina.org/ English Teaching Jobs in China or are interested in an http://www.esljob.org/ ESL Jobs in other countries, check any of the numerous ESL web sites on the internet.

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ESL Education (Learn English as a Second Language)

Author: Michael

Bustamante Article: ESL education helps people learn English as a second language and gain better communication skills. A good understanding of the English language can facilitate international business in a global economy, or be used to help others learn to speak English. Training in ESL can improve cultural understanding, professional interpersonal communications, and overall writing and grammar capabilities.

http://www.schoolsgalore.com/categories/2/esl_schools.html Learning English as a second language is perfect for educators or those wishing to pursue a career in teaching. Because today's instructors must be equipped to teach indiversified classroom settings, it is imperative that professionals attain the appropriate ESL education to meet growing multicultural linguistic demands.

From an instructional aspect, training in ESL is crucial to those wishing to enter the field of teaching English to non-English-speaking people. The best courses will offer a diverse curriculum, including grammar awareness, how to teach grammar and vocabulary, and how to teach listening, reading, speaking and writing in English. Additional coursework might include Language Acquisition, which concentrates on language structure (grammar, morphology, phonology, pragmatics,pronunciation, semantics, and syntax).

Vocational schools and community colleges allow students to earn certificates or Associate Degrees in English as a Second Language (ESL). Other options include continuing education courses and even learning http://www.schoolsgalore.com/categories/4/esl_schools.html ESL online. Graduates at every level may apply this training in their professional lives, as well as in everyday life for better communications.

Those who are well-trained in ESL will also have a leg up for positions in http://www.schoolsgalore.com/categories/3/international_business_schools.html international business. In the global economy of today, the bilingual individual will always have the advantage in areas of communications, international relations and cultural customs.

If you are interested in learning better communication skills for a lifetime of success, consider the benefits of learning English as a second language. Find schools on our website and submit a request for more information to colleges and universities offering http://www.schoolsgalore.com/categories/3/esl_schools.html ESL Education today.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

About the author: Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. and http://www.allmediaconsulting.com/ AllMediaConsulting.com. Find schools providing http://www.schoolsgalore.com/categories/3/esl_schools.html ESL Education, as well as Colleges, Universities, Online Schools and Vocational Schools at SchoolsGalore.com, your resource for higher education.

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Learning A Foreign Language Will Open A Window To The World

Author: mgavr68

If you've ever had the urge to travel around the world, visiting exotic places, and ordering authentic local cuisine, then you've probably considered the fact that it might help if you were able to speak the language. Even if only to read the menu at your favorite French Bistro or Italian Restaurant, it is amazing how much more of the menu you will understand simply by learning a few key phrases in a foreign language.

Learning a new language is almost always a thrilling prospect, even better when you can learn a new language for free. In fact, at this price why on earth would anyone stop at just one language? Many of these online language programs are not intended to work as a sole source of language education, but when used in conjunction with other language learning programs can produce amazing results.

If you use the flash cards and matching games that are available on this site, you will be speaking your new language like a native in no time, better yet, you will understand it like a native as well. Have you ever envied those that speak several languages with as much familiarity as their own mother tongues? Be jealous no longer. Apply these lessons, study diligently and you will notice a significant improvement in your vocabulary.

Learn an Arabic language conversation free with lessons online. In fact, learn a few. Take a look at the free online "Learn Spanish Video" and see how many new words you can learn in a short period of time. Take lessons with a friend and have competitions to see who has learned the most new words. Playing games is a great way to learn and still have fun being competitive with one another.

Remember though that the overall goal is learning a new language. Whether your goals are Russian, Hungarian, English, French, or some obscure tribal language on the moon, you might be surprised at the selection available. You can even use this program to help you avoid the syntax errors in English second language learners. This will make an incredible difference in how you are accepted globally as well as corporately.

There are several sites out there that deal with teaching a foreign language and you're bound to find something suitable for your needs even after a few minutes of electronic surfing. Although most will focus on popular languages such as English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Italian or Portuguese, other "smaller" languages are not left out in the cold either. Regardless of what language you're aiming for, chances are that you can find a site that covers it and offers some learning courses for it.

About the Author
Increase your foreign language vocabulary at http://www.InternetPolyglot.com by playing online games. The site contains thousands of lessons in different languages from English, Spanish, French, Russian to Hindi, Turkish, Ukrainian and many others.

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Why Learn a Foreign Language

Author: mgavr68

For most people, this question is easily answerable, but there's always that slightly smaller mass of guys and girls speaking an important international language that wonder why they need to learn another one, when they can easily handle themselves about with the help of their mother tongue. Some of the reasons to learn a foreign language that I'll utter here might seem a bit too obvious, whereas others could spark an interest, regardless, if they determine you to take up on a foreign language then I'll be a happy man.

Moving abroad

Obviously, if you've already moved abroad then you will absolutely have to learn the local language if you want to be able to blend in with the society. If you're expecting to move abroad in the near (or far) future you should take up on language lessons as soon as possible and not wait until the last second.

Career bonus

Learning a foreign language can be such a huge career boost in many occasions that it could prove to be an extremely useful investment of time and money. Conducting business in a foreign country will be eased up if you know the local language and it also shows a higher level of bonding and respect from your side, possibly allowing for a better professional relationship.

Traveling

If you're reading this, you probably have at least a moderate grasp of the English language and you might be wondering why you need to learn a foreign language while traveling, since, let's face it, you can get by with just English close to everywhere in the World. Well that's a wrong assumption to start with actually and it's also a bit disrespectful to wait for them to speak English on their home soil instead of you trying to learn their language. Whether you're visiting a foreign country for 2 weeks or 2 months, at least knowing the basics will help a lot.

Cultural reasons

Yes... cultural reasons. You might be interested in a different culture's history, poetry, music or prose and let's face it, translations in these cases aren't the most accurate. Learning the language of the culture you're interested in is a great way to study it up close and understand the details that would've been left out in a translation. Knowing two or more languages will also boost your cultural status amongst you fellow colleagues, co-workers or friends, since a polyglot has always been highly regarded in any era's society.

Although these are the main reasons that most people are learning a foreign language for, there's a dozen more that we could specify here. Having a foreign spouse, getting a scholarship in a foreign country or simply learning out of fascination for another language can all be serious reasons for the subject at hand.

About the Author
Jim Zorn is web master of the Guide to Distance Learning. Please visit to learn more about online colleges and universities, distance learning degrees, majors and courses offered as well as distance learning technology. http://www.guide-to-distance-learning.com

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