How do you do on this fine and dandy day of illustrious deliciousness? Having a good November start? :)
I have a question for you today:
What motivates you to learn English?
I find that music is a very powerful motivational tool-
I was listening to music before I left for work-music is something most people enjoy, in fact- I do not think I know anyone who does not like music. Do you like music?
Music is a great way to internalize the prosody( the rhythm and intonation (= the way a speaker's voice rises and falls) of language) and melody of the language.
It's a lot easier and far more entertaining to study grammar rules when you actually enjoy the methodology( Methods used in teaching/studying.) and of course, the language you are learning.
An age-old question:
''Teacher B, How can I improve my intonation and ''notice'' grammar. Teacher always says notice! ''
''Teacher B, How can I improve my intonation and ''notice'' grammar. Teacher always says notice! ''
Well- one way , is to use music as a tool. A song and an audio script, a pencil and half an hour of your time! Keep reading for the task/tips:
TRY THIS ACTIVITY AT HOME with the song above:
1. Listen to the whole audio clip once without looking at the words. chill out- take a deep breath. No panic needed!
2. Listen to the song again. It’s easier to hear and understand what you’re listening to when you feel at ease (calm.)
3. Listen to the clip, but pause the clip every so often.( third try!)
After you pause the audio, write down a phrase or sentence- what ever you can remember from the song.
When you have finished and listened to the entire song, read through your notes.
It’s perfectly normal to ''miss'' words- if you don’t understand every word- it is alright! Ask yourself:
Did I understand the general idea of the song? Did I notice any tenses? What kind of grammar was used?
4. Repeat step 3. Check and Correct your writing. (If you heard anything else- jot that down/write it down.)
5. Read through your notes again. Try to finish the sentences. If you wrote down one or two words, can you figure out the sentence from those words? Use your understanding of grammar to help you fill in logical ideas.
6. Hide your notes. Listen to the clip again, but this time stop after 10 seconds. Again, write down the main words you hear. Check your work and compared your notes to what you wrote in step 5.
7. Listen to the clip completely one last time while reading your notes.
8. Compare your notes to the actual words.
What words did you get right?
Did you have any problems with hearing certain words? - think about why. ( If you have attended a class with me- you will have learnt that in English we ''glide over'' certain words.
Are there any words that you should have heard [words that you already know] but did not?
Is your pronunciation wrong? Was the word unstressed in the sentence? Was it linked to a word before or after it?
Look up any new words that you don’t know.( I have created a list of vocabulary below, words that I presume would need definitions.)
9. Hide all your notes and the words. Listen one final time to the clip. It should be easier now to understand what the speaker is saying.
11. After about a week, come back and listen to the clip again to refresh your memory.
NOTE:
Your listening skills will not improve immediately- ''Rome was not built in a day, darling!''
If you practice regularly, try half an hour a week, soon you will start to see an improvement in your listening skills.
Sounds of silence: Simon and Garfunkel :
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence
"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence
"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence
VOCABULARY:
NEON-a colourless gas which has no smell, does not react with other chemicals, and shines red when an electric current goes through it
NEON LIGHT/SIGN
CREEPING-creep along/in/out, etc
› to move very quietly and carefully:
I crept out of the room.
REMAIN-to continue to exist when everything or everyone else has gone:
e.g.Only a few hundred of these animals remain today.
RESTLESS-NOT STILL
› unable to be still or relax because you are bored or nervous:
e.g.The audience was getting restless.
COBBLESTONE-a rounded stone that is used on the surface of an old-fashioned road
HALO- a gold circle of light that is shown around the head of a holy person in a painting
COLLAR-CLOTHING
› the part of a shirt, coat, etc that is usually folded over and goes round your neck:
e.g.His shirt collar was dirty.
DARED-(I ----->not continuous) to be brave enough to do something difficult or dangerous, or to be rude or silly enough to do something that you have no right to do
e.g.I was going to ask if his dog was any better, but I didn't dare in case it had died.
ECHOED-SOUND
› If a sound echoes, or a place echoes with a sound, you hear the sound again because you are in a large, empty space:
e.g.Their voices echoed around the room.
WELL-a deep hole in the ground from which you can get water, oil, or gas
e.g. They filled their buckets with water from the well.
TENEMENT-a large building that is divided into apartments, usually in a poor area of a city
e.g. It is so sad how many tenements have been left empty after the change in Government.
e.g. It is so sad how many tenements have been left empty after the change in Government.
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