Monday, 25 September 2017

The Future



In this blog post we are looking at how we relate to the future in the English language. 

It is very common for TEFL teachers to teach the grammar of the future aspects but not the meaning and use behind the grammar.

As a result, many English learners fall into the habit of using one of the aspects (usually 'will' of 'going to') more than the others. 

This blog looks at how English does not have a future tense, and how we use aspects of the language to create future meaning.




So what are these aspects?










 


So let's have a look at these meanings in a little more detail and learn how to use them!














Finally, a tip for teaching!




We hope you enjoyed this blog post. Please comment, share and like below.Solas English - teaching online in a fun way!


Monday, 21 August 2017

Paraphrasing

 In our blog today we are looking at the academic skill of paraphrasing. We start with a brief definition of what paraphrasing is, and then give examples of techniques we can use in our writing to improve our paraphrasing skills. 



What is paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing involves restating, in your own words, the original wording in a source. The restatement must include careful word choices that fit the context and tone of the original passage. When paraphrasing you may use some of the authors key terms, but they must be used in your own words and sentences. It is very important to use an in-text citation when you paraphrase to prevent plagiarism.

Why do we paraphrase?

It's very important to paraphrase so we do not plagiarise the work of others. Also paraphrasing shows that we understand the research we are reading, and that we have a good enough comprehension of the idea to put it into our own words.

How do we paraphrase?

There are many techniques to use when paraphrasing. To paraphrase effectively it is very important that we use as many of these techniques as possible in our writing. When we use these techniques, it's also very important that pay attention to our grammar and vocabulary accuracy. The techniques for paraphrasing are:
  • Using synonyms
  • Using definitions
  • Changing word forms
  • Changing voice
  • Changing clauses and phrases
  • Changing word order


Using Synonyms

Synonyms are words that have the same or a very similar meaning as another word. When paraphrasing we can use a synonym or synonymous phrase that may occur in the same context as the original word or phrase used in the source. Not only should it have the same meaning, but it should also have the same tone (level of formality) and contextual meaning as the original word or phrase. 


Original Sentence

Paraphrasing is hard to do without good examples.

Paraphrase

Paraphrasing is difficult / challenging / an ordeal if there are no effective examples to study.




Original Sentence

F5 tornadoes are very dangerous windstorms: as a result, people must seek shelter immediately.

Paraphrase

F5 tornadoes are such severe windstorms that people must find a safe place right away.



Original Sentence

The U.S. government declared that the AIDS crisis poses a national security threat. The announcement followed an intelligence report that found high rates of HIV infection could lead to widespread political destabilisation.

Paraphrase

The government of the United States announced that AIDS could harm the nation's security. The government warned the population after an important governmental study concluded that political problems could result from large numbers of people infected with HIV (Snell, 2005).


It is important when you are using synonyms that you use a good online dictionary resource or thesaurus such as the Oxford dictionary and Thesaurus.



Using Definitions

Another technique we can use when paraphrasing is using different definitions. For example,

Lyme disease is an inflammatory disease cause by a bacterium transmitted by ticks, small bloodsucking arachnids, that attach themselves to larger animals. The disease is usually characterised by a rash followed by flu-like symptoms including fever, joint pain and headache.

Lyme disease, a disease that causes swelling and redness, is caused by a bacterium carried by a small arachnid known as a tick. By attaching to and sucking the blood of animals and humans, the ticks transfer some of the Lyme disease bacterium into their hosts causing symptoms similar to the flu (Wald, 2005).



Changing Word Forms

Content words can be repeated in different forms in a paragraph. For example a noun phrase may be used in a sentence in a paragraph and then changed to an adjective phrase in a later sentence. Sentences which have certain structures, e.g. comparison or cause and effect, can be restated by changing the pattern of the structure around. This often involves converting verbs (and adjectives) to nouns (and vice versa).

Original sentence

In a tornadic storm, property is destroyed.

Paraphrase

A tornado causes destruction of property.



Original sentence

Hansen (2008) focuses on the way in which second-language pronunciation is acquired.

Paraphrase

Hansen (2008) focuses on the acquisition of second-language pronunciation.



You can also change numbers and percentages to different forms when you paraphrase.

Original text

Minority groups in the United States have been hit hardest by the epidemic. African Americans, who make up 13% of the U.S. population accounted for 46% of the Aids cases diagnosed in 1998.

Paraphrase

The Aids epidemic has mostly affected minorities in the United States. For example, in 1998 less than 15% of the total population was African, but almost half of the people diagnosed with AIDS in the United States that year were African American.



Changing word order

We can also change the word order to help us paraphrase effectively. This means we can move information from one part of the text to another.

Original text

Situations that create stress are as unique as you are. Your personality, genes and experience influence how you deal with stress.

Paraphrase

Stressful situations affect people differently. how you manage stress is determined by your personality characteristics, genetic makeup and life experiences.


The changes made are:
  • situations that create stress = stressful situations (new word order and word forms)
  • are as unique as you are = affect people differently (synonymous phrase, different kind of clause)
  • how you deal with stress = how you manage stress (synonymous phrase, new word order)
  • personality = personality characteristics (synonymous phrase)
  • genes = genetic makeup (synonymous phrase)
  • expreiences = life experiences (synonymous phrase)



Changing Voice

Forming passive verbs can help you with paraphrasing. However, be careful not to convert active verbs to passive verbs unless it is appropriate to do so. In general the active voice is preferred in writing because the focus of most academic writing is on the agent (the doer). However, sometimes it is appropriate to focus on what has been done rather than the doer. For example when describing a process or a methodology. The passive voice is often used in scientific, engineering or technical writing because assignments in these fields often require the focus to be on the receiver (object).
In the following example, the active voice is appropriate because the focus (good students) is also the agent. Using the passive voice would change the focus to the receiver (activities of good students), which could create problems with coherence in the writing.

Appropriate focus (active voice)

Good students participate in class activities, complete their assignments on time, and do exemplary work.
(The sentence is clearly focused on the topic of good students.)

Inappropriate focus (passive voice)

Class activities are participated in, assignments are completed and exemplary work is done [by the good students].
(Changing the focus from the agent to the receiver creates problems with expression. The sentence is awkward and does not address the topic of good students directly.)

Therefore before you change the voice of a sentence, keep in mind your focus and check if the use of the passive is preferred if the agent (doer) is unimportant, unknown, or understood from previous reference in the writing. For example,

The cocoons are sorted and soaked before the silk fibres are wound into reels. After this, the raw silk is shipped to factories where it is washed and dried.

Here the focus is on the process of manufacturing silk rather than on the workers. Therefore we find the passive voice.

Workers sort out and soak the cocoons before they wind the silk fibres onto reels. After this the workers ship the raw sill to factories where other workers wash and dry the silk.

Here the focus is on the workers. We are reporting on what the workers are doing rather than the work being done. Therefore, to keep the focus on the workers, we use the active voice. 

We can also use the passive voice if we don't want to use reporting verbs in our writing. For example,

Angier (2001) reported that malaria kills more than one million people annually, the overwhelming majority of them children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Every year more than a million people are killed by malaria, and most of the victims are children who live in sub-Saharan Africa (Angier, 2001).



Changing Clauses to Phrases

Another technique we use in paraphrasing is changing clauses to phrases. For example,

Original sentence

The flow of water back to the sea results from the precipitation of rain and its absorption by the soil.

Paraphrase

Because rain is precipitated and absorbed by the soil, water flows back to the sea.

The flow of water (noun phrase) = water flows (clause)

When changing clauses and phrases, it is important to think about sentence structure and how we use subordinators and co-ordinators. You can read more about these in our blog post on sentence structures.

Although only about one-tenth of the world's population lives there, sub-Saharan Africa remains the hardest hit region, accounting for 72% of the people infected with HIV during 2000.

Approximately 10% of the world's population resides in sub-Saharan Africa. However, this area of the world has the highest percentage of AIDS related illnesses. In fact, in 2000 almost three quarters of the population had the HIV virus (Bunting, 2004).




Use of Direct Quotation

Another technique to prevent plagiarism in your writing is the use of direct quotation. Direct quotation is when you copy the author's words exactly as they are written. You use quotation marks (" ") around the copied text and acknowledge the source with an in-text citation.

We only use a direct quotation when the author's exact words give your argument more credibility and/or present the information more succinctly than a paraphrase would. You should only use direct quotation once or twice in your writing and it's important note to quote factual material such as data or figures. If you find you are using direct quotation a lot in your writing, you will have issues with plagiarism.

Use of Indirect Quotation

Therefore, to overcome problems with plagiarism we use indirect quotation. An indirect quotation is when we paraphrase the original quotation, using one of more of the techniques above, and then source the information with an in-text citation. In an indirect quotation we do not use quotation marks but can use a reporting verb instead. For example,

Original sentence

"It's generally accepted that on-screen violence is harmful to children."

Paraphrase

According to Spock (1997), most people believe that TV and movie violence affects children adversely.



"Children - especially young children - will pattern themselves after violent behaviour just as readily as they imitate good behaviour. Watching violence has a desensitising and brutal affect on people - children and adults alike. It is likely that individuals brought up by kindly parents will at first be shocked and horrified when they see one person committing an act of violence against another. However if they continue to see violence regularly, they will gradually begin to take it for granted as standard human behaviour."

He maintains that the young children in particular are just as likely to imitate violent actions as they are nonviolent ones. Spock (1997) also states that people who watch too much violence will become less sensitive to it regardless of age. As he explains, when people who are from good families are first exposed to violence, their reaction is one of fright. However, the more violence they see, the less frightened they become. This violence becomes an everyday and accepted experience (ibid.)

*It is important to note that when using reporting verbs in indirect quotations, we use the verbs in the present tense even if the source was written a few years previously.



Things to Note to be a Good Paraphraser

  • Always refer to the author (in-text citation) and the text (reference in reference list) whenever you paraphrase from a source.
  • Do not say "I think ..." or use other wording to imply that an idea that came from a source is your own opinion or idea. Do not claim another author's ideas as your own even if you agree with the author.
  • Research and take notes carefully. You should always write your notes in your own words, or use paraphrasing when note-taking. Make sure you keep accurate and correct information of the source of your notes to use in in-text citations, reference lists and bibliographies.
  • If you copy anything word for word, use quotation marks and acknowledge the source.
  • Be sure to maintain the original meaning of the text.
  • Be accurate with your grammar and vocabulary to produce coherent writing.
  • For longer texts, try to summarise the information in your own words without referring back to the text for language.
  • Remember that you may not be able to paraphrase some key phrases, technical words or proper nouns. Therefore it is important that you work around these and paraphrase the rest of the text as much as you can.




References used for information in this blog:

Burnapp, D. (2009) Getting ahead as an International Student. United Kingdom: Open University Press.
Cottrell, S. (2008) The Study Skills Handbook (3rd ed.) New York: Palgrave MacMillan
Hewings, M. (2012) Cambridge Academic English. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press Ltd.
Oshima, A. and Hogue, A. (2006) Writing Academic English (4th ed.) New York: Pearson Education Inc.
Sowton, C. (2012) 50 Steps to Improving your Academic Writing. United Kingdom: Garnet Publishing Ltd.
The Open University (2013) Paraphrasing Text [Online] http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/english-language/paraphrasing-text/content-section-0 [Accessed on 14/8/2013]


We hope you found our blog on paraphrasing helpful. If you haven any comments, please leave them below.
We look forward to hearing from you in Solas English!

Tuesday, 4 July 2017

IELTS Writing, Question 2 - Task Achievement and Coherence, Coherence

Many IELTS candidates make the mistake of rushing into the writing of part 2. This may be because of the time limit to write 250. Rushing into the writing of part 2 can cause problems for the candidates. The first 5 minutes of part 2 in the writing test are very important. The work candidates do in this first five minutes sets the ground-work for the remainder of the writing and can have a very impact on your overall score. In this blog post we are going to look at how to effectively start the part 2 writing process, and illustrate how this can help your task achievement of the question.



First it important to highlight the 4 criteria in which your essay is marked by, and how these steps can help you score higher in 2 of the criteria.

1. Task Achievement / Response

  • Did your answer address all of the points in the question?
  • Did you provide a balanced argument and support your ideas with evidence and examples?
  • Were all of your ideas relevant to the question?
  • Did you write 250 words?


2. Coherence and Cohesion

  • Is your writing easy to understand?
  • Are your ideas well organised and clearly linked?


3. Vocabulary

  • Did you use a wide range of vocabulary accurately and effectively?


4. Grammar

  • Did you use a wide range of grammatical structures accurately and effectively?


To help you get started with the writing, we have created a system which gives structure to your overall essay and to your introduction paragraph. By following these steps you can achieve higher band scores in Task Achievement and Coherence and Cohesion. To explain this system in the easiest way, we will demonstrate it step-by-step with the following example essay question:


Writing Task 2


You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Many museums charge for admission while others are free.

Do you think the advantages of charging people for admission to museums outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.



Step 1 - Analyse the essay question. (1 minute)

It is very important to look carefully at the essay statement and question, and to critically think about that the essay is asking you to do. If you don't analyse the essay statement and question, you may answer the question incorrectly which will result in you loosing points in your task achievement criteria. To analyse the essay question:

1. Note key words / phrases in the statement and think about what they mean. Try to note down how your could say these words / phrases in other words (paraphrase). Write down words that mean the same (synonyms).

2. Note the key words in the question. What are you being asked to do?






Step 2 - Brainstorm your ideas. (2 minutes)

Very quickly note down any ideas or examples you could use to speak about the topic. Don't worry about order or structure, just note down anything that comes into your mind. You can do this in a list or make a mind-map.
_____________________________________________________________




Step 3 - Make a plan. (2 minutes)

Look at your ideas and decide how you will answer the question (refer back to your analysis of the question). Then make a quick plan of the best way to present your ideas.
In your plan keep themes together, for example advantages or disadvantages.
Make sure you are not using the same idea twice as you do not want to have repetition in your essay. Refer to your brainstorm and check for examples you can use to develop your ideas. Work these examples and results into your plan.




So to quickly re-cap!

In the first 5 - 6 minutes of the IELTS Writing test part 2 you should:



Now you are ready to write!


The first thing you need to write is an introduction. An introduction should have the following:

1. A restate of the question in your own words.

2. You interpretation of the words or ideas used in the question
            Or
     A brief reaction to the question.
            Or
     A summary of the question or topic through a new question.

3. An explanation of what you intend to write about.

So let's look at how you can you use the three steps above to shape your introduction.



Restate the Question






Often museums and galleries have an entrance fee, but this is not always the case. There are both benefits and drawbacks to having entrance fees.







Reaction to question OR summary of question OR interpretation of words

Reaction to question: Museums are seen as places of education and wonder. Such places should be available widely to everyone who is interested in them. However, there are some considerations to think about when having museums items and art accessible to the public.


Explanation of what you intend to write

In this essay I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of entrance fees and free admission. In my discussion. I will show how the advantages of having fees in museums outweighs the disadvantages.


Let's bring our three part together to make our introduction.



We hope you found our three step system to help you get started in your IELTS writing task 2. Please write a comment and tell us what you think! If you are interested in reading more of our posts and blogs, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and InstagramIf you are interested in online classes with us, visit out website Solas English.

Tuesday, 30 May 2017

Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs can be difficult for English language learners to learn. Many learners find them challenging; their meaning and their use. In this blog we will break down phrasal verbs and explain how you can become better at using and understanding these pieces of vocabulary.




First of all, it's very important to note that phrasal verbs are vocabulary. Just like walk is a word that describes an action (verb), take on is a collocation that describes an action (verb). Therefore, it is important to record phrasal verbs in the same way your record all your other vocabulary. For more tips on recording vocabulary, look at our post about vocabulary notebooks.

Another important thing to remember when working with phrasal verbs is; you should always use an English - English dictionary to check the meaning of the phrasal verbs. Trying to understand phrasal verbs on online translators or electronic translators can be a problem because the translator may translate the verb and the preposition or adverb separately rather than as one unit. I recommend the advanced learner dictionaries for English language learners.





First, what is a phrasal verb?


A phrasal verb is a multi-part verb. It is made up of a verb and a preposition or an adverb.



Why use phrasal verbs?


Phrasal verbs are often used in informal speech. However, this is not always the case as you can also use phrasal verbs in more formal situations, for example in business English or presentation English. Quite often, a lot of the verbs we use everyday are phrasal verbs. It is much more 'normal' for a native English language speaker to say

"Take off your coat and hang it up over there." 

instead of 

"Remove your coat and suspend it on the hook over there."




So how can I recognise or know phrasal verbs?


There are four types of phrasal verbs:

Type 1
Intransitive phrasal Verb

This means that the phrasal verb does not need a direct object to be used, for example



Examples of Type 1 Phrasal verbs

to work out = to do exercise 
e.g. I work out at the gym twice a week.

to freak out - to get very stressed, angry and annoyed with a person, thing or situation.
e.g. The students were freaking out because the university exams were starting that week.


Type 2
Transitive inseparable phrasal verb

This is a phrasal verb that needs an object in order for the phrasal verb to make sense (transitive). the The two parts of the phrasal verb cannot be separated. That is, the object must come after all parts of the phrasal verb e.g.



Without an object we are left guessing what happens next, for example



This sentence has no meaning because the type of phrasal verb used must have an object.


Examples of Type 2 Phrasal Verbs

to be into = to be interested in, to like and to do as a hobby 
e.g. I'm into rock music. I go to gigs all the time.

to pick on = to bully and be mean to
e.g. The children in the playground picked on Mark because he was the smallest.

Type 3
Transitive separable phrasal verb

This is a phrasal verb that needs an object in order for the phrasal verb to make sense (transitive).  However, unlike Type 2 this phrasal verb can be separated. This means that the object can go between the verb part and the preposition or adverb part of the phrasal verb.
Below is an example of a phrasal verb in a sentence that is not separated.





Below is an example of the phrasal verb separated by the object.



Quite often when we use transitive separable phrasal verbs, we use a pronoun between the verb and the preposition of adverb (usually because the object is known from a previous reference).


Examples of Type 3 Phrasal Verbs

to work out = to fix a problem, resolve an issue or dispute
e.g. We are having a difficult time in our relationship, but we will work it out.
        Let's work out the cause of this issue for once and for all.

to make up = to create something (usually a story, gossip or scandal)
e.g. He made up the story about the car crash.
       Did you make that up, or is it true?

Type 4
Three part phrasal verbs

These are phrasal verbs that have three parts to their form. Because of the three parts, they cannot be separated and are usually always used with an object.



Example of Type 4 Phrasal Verbs

to fall out with = to have a disagreement with, to have a dispute with, to have an argument with
e.g., I fell out with my friend two weeks ago, and we haven't spoken since.

to give out to = to scold or discipline for doing something wring, naughty or bold
e.g. His father gave out to him for throwing stones at the neighbors car.


So how do I use phrasal verbs?


Phrasal verbs follow the same rules as all other verbs. Therefore, to use phrasal verbs in the past, you change the verb part of the phrasal verb into the past form e.g.

Past simple
Last week I got up later than usual because I was on holidays.

Past Progressive
I was getting up early but my timetable changed.

Present Simple
I get up early every morning.

Present perfect progressive
I have been getting up early lately.

Future aspects
She is going to get up early tomorrow to get an earlier train. (plan)
I will get up early to collect you for the station. (intention)

Questions
Whats time do you get up at? (present simple)
Do you enjoy getting up early? (gerund form)



Remember !
Phrasal verbs need to be conjugated just like all other verbs:
I wake up early every morning.
You wake up early every morning.
He / She / It wakes up early every morning.
We wake up early every morning.
You (plural) wake up early every morning.
They wake up early every morning.


How do  know the meaning of phrasal verbs?


Some phrasal verbs' meaning is very near to the meaning of the verb. These are easier to remember and to understand when you read or hear them e.g. to hang up your coat means to hang your coat on a hook or clothes hanger. However some other phrasal verbs' meaning is completely different and unrelated to the verb e.g. to come up with a great idea means to think of a great idea.


So how can I learn phrasal verbs?


Like I mentioned before, it is important to treat phrasal verbs like vocabulary. Note them into your vocabulary notebooks and write example sentences of how they work. 
Another great idea is to give yourself a number of phrasal verbs to learn each week. I usually pick an easy number, like 5, and focus on those new verbs all week. In that week, I try to use them as much as possible in my communication practice, and I refresh them in my mind at least once a day.

The last thing to remember about phrasal verbs - phrasal verbs can be learned by all levels of English language learners. If you are learning English for the first time, it is essential that you learn phrasal verbs from the start. Many people make the mistake and think that phrasal verbs are for higher level learners only - this is not true. Phrasal verbs are for all levels.


Hope you enjoyed our post on phrasal verbs. If you have any questions you would like to ask, just add to the comments below. 

Thanks for learning with Solas English!







Thursday, 27 April 2017

Preparing for a Speaking Exam

How do I prepare for a speaking examination? Many people will tell you to speak as much English as possible before the exam, and they are right! However, there are some things you can do yourself to prepare for a speaking exam. Here are some self-study tips to guide you.



Know the exam layout


It's very important that you know the exam layout before you go into the exam. Being familiar with the exam means you will not be surprised by the type of questions or tasks you will be asked to do. Speaking exams are usually arranged into parts. Each part has a specific task, for example in part 3 of the Cambridge PET exam you are asked to speak about a photograph for 1 minutes. Likewise in part 2 of the IELTS exam you are asked to speak about a topic for 1 to 2 minutes with 1 minute preparation and note-taking before. Therefore it is important to know the speaking exam structure, so you will know what to expect.

Watch example videos online


There are many example videos of speaking exams available online for you to watch. These can be found on the official Cambridge and IELTS websites and also on video websites such as Youtube. The more videos you watch, the more topics you will see covered. This will give you an idea of the type of questions that can come up in the different parts of the exam.

Prepare and Practice Speaking Sheet


It's a good idea to take some time to prepare a topic sheet or a Prepare and Practice Speaking Sheet (PPSS). A PPSS is a brainstorming sheet on which you write ideas and vocabulary about a topic. So how does it work? It's very easy; pick a topic, brainstorm ideas on the sheet of things you could say about the topic, check your dictionary for any words that you would like to use and add them to the sheet. Once you have completed your sheet, practice speaking about the topic using the sheet to guide you and help you remember your ideas and new vocabulary.


It's very important that you DO NOT write full sentences on your PPSS. The PPSS must be in your style of note-taking like mind-maps (above) or linear notes (below). The PPSS is only an aid to help you remember key points and vocabulary. If you write your PPSS in sentences, there is a good possibility that you will read your sentences or paragraph, rather than speaking your ideas.




Also it is very important that you DO NOT memorise a paragraph to answer questions in a speaking exam. Key ideas and words allow you to talk more naturally about the topic and give you the flexibility to change your ideas according to the questions you are being asked.

Remember, if an examiner thinks you have memorised an answer, they will stop you and ask you a different question on a different topic.

It's a good idea to write up as many PPSS's as you can on different topics. Then use the sheets to practise - take a sheet out of your collection, and practise speaking out loud about the topic using the sheet to help you remember what to say and how to say it. You can practise with a friend or by yourself. Sometimes practising in front of a mirror is a good way to help you maintain eye-contact, rather than focusing on the notes all the time. You can also record yourself on your phone or recorder, and then listen back to your pronunciation and delivery.
Another good idea is to set a timer on your phone. In some exams you are asked to speak for 1 or 2 minutes. Set the timer and check if you can talk for a certain length of time about the topic. This is great to help you with your fluency also.

Topics for Speaking Exams


Each speaking exam is different, so do some research on the types of topics that can come up in the exam. Here is a list of the more popular topics that can come up in most exams.














We hope you found our idea of the preparation and practice speaking sheets helpful. If you use any other methods or techniques to prepare for your speaking exams, please comment below. We would love to hear your ideas.
Happy Speaking!