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Can You Learn English While You Sleep?
First, the bad news: according to this article, “resting your textbook near your dreaming head won’t do any good.” Wouldn’t that be great? But now here’s the good news: “if you’re learning a foreign language, it may help to play recordings of the language while you sleep.” This is what they found in a study(…)
The Triumph of English
A “triumph” is a win, so this article from post-gazette.com is about English becoming the international language- the winning language. English is triumphant among languages. As an English learner, you probably know this already! But according to the article, this is the first time in history when there have been more people learning a language(…)
English Teacher Fred on an Infomercial in Vietnam
Back in 2009 I was teaching at a private university in Ho Chi Minh City called the University of Economics and Finance, or UEF. The university produced an infomercial that was broadcast on TV here in Vietnam. The camera crew came into my classroom and I said some words for the camera. When it was(…)
Learning Languages is Good for Your Brain
According to this article on Discovery.com, learning foreign languages is good for the health of your brain. It might even help delay the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease. “…a growing body of research shows that regularly speaking two languages comes with certain types of improved mental performance.” And you don’t have to start as a child,(…)
Education Moves Online
Education is moving online at lightning speed. According to this article in the New York Times there has been a big shift in just the last few months, with most of the top universities in the USA moving “aggressively” online: “The Campus Tsunami“. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/04/opinion/brooks-the-campus-tsunami.html?_r=2&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120504
A Quiz For People Who Know Everything
This quiz is going around by email. I flunked! *** QUIZ FOR BRIGHT PEOPLE LIKE YOU . . . why else would I send it, I’ve no time to waste. There are only nine questions. This is a quiz for people who know everything. I found out in a hurry that I didn’t. These are(…)
These Are Not IELTS Or TOEFL Test Questions!
These are not IELTS test questions but you might be asked something like this if you apply for a job at a tech company. According to Glassdoor, these are some questions that were actually asked during interviews with tech firms in 2011. They are called “oddball questions” and interviewers will sometimes ask questions like this(…)
Happy Birthday To Me 2011
My birthday was this month and my English class in Ho Chi Minh City made a great party with lots of food and fun. This picture was taken before I came in, when the class was preparing the room. I came in and got the big surprise and the birthday song and there were even(…)
Questions & Answers
Best Answer – Is it possible to greatly improve your oral and written skills without a tutor?
Another one of my answers was chosen as Best Answer on Yahoo Answers- I love it when that happens! Here is the link to the question on the Answers site: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiCvilSA_O91bQ8APhI307fsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20120606005502AAxqwGl This is the question: I’m a college student whose native language is not English. I have spent a lot of time in learnign English,(…)
Two New Best Answers On Yahoo Answers
Sometimes I go over to Yahoo Answers and see if I can help somebody with their questions about learning English and today I had a nice surprise: two of my answers on Yahoo Answers were chosen as Best Answer. The first one said, “I need agod website for learning english?” Which, of course, should be,(…)
Should I Take The TOEFL TOEIC IELTS Tests?
Students often want to know if they should take the major tests of English as a second language: TOEIC, IELTS and TOEFL. They wonder if it will affect their chance to be admitted to universities or get the job they want. It’s only necessary to take one of the tests if it is required by(…)
What is the best American late night talk show for learning english?
Answer: I think that the best American late night talk show for learning English is whichever one you enjoy the most. I don’t watch television very much but I do really like talk shows. In the USA there are daytime talk shows and “late night” talk shows. Daytime talk shows are mostly made for women,(…)
Tools and Resources
Free English Reading and Listening Lessons from GCFLearnFree.org
Here are some nicely made lessons for English learners with reading and listening. You can choose an interface in your own language or use the lessons made for native English speakers in easy English. The Reading section is probably the best for learners of English as a second language, but you can learn about many(…)
Online Graded Reading with Audio and PDF
Most English students don’t do enough reading and I always encourage learners of English to read a lot. It’s especially useful if you can find reading that has listening with it, and also reading that is not too difficult for you to understand (graded reading). Lit2Go is a website full of graded reading with listening.(…)
Excellent Videos With Reading For Intermediate English Learners
Most students of English have heard of VOA Special English, the radio program for learning English. I recently discovered that there is also a VOA Learning English Youtube Channel, which is excellent because you can read the article while you listen to it and…
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