Learn English as a Second Language and Get Up to Speed

You Think English is Easy???

Can you read these right the first time?

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce .
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present .
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row .
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick" You lovers of the English language might enjoy this . There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is "UP." It's easy to understand UP , meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ? We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car . At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special. And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP . We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP ! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP , look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP , you may wind UP with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP . When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP . When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP . One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP , for now my time is UP, so......... Time to shut UP ! Oh...one more thing: What is the first thing you do in the morning & the last thing you do at night? U-P

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Learn English as a Second Language in a Heartbeat

Idiom for the Day

……in a heartbeat..……

Heartbeats are quick and common so if someone does something in a heartbeat, they do it quickly. You should be very happy when someone tells you it will be done in a heartbeat for that means that it will be done very quickly.

Example: My father said he would get me the money in a heartbeat.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language and Start Now

Synonyms for the Day

Some new synonyms for the day – begin, commence, initiate

Examples: The program will begin with a prayer.
When the audience is seated, the play will commence.
The Senator will initiate the legislation.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language without a Shy Eye

Pronunciation Practice
Practice the pairs and sentences below for better pronunciation.
share-air
shy-eye
shake-ache
shape-ape
shawl-all

We all share the air.
Close your eye if you’re shy.
Shake if you ache.
She has the shape of an ape.
The shawl is for all.

Don’t forget to go back and practice the old pairs.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language and Use Ellipticals

The Language Communicator will help you practice your sentence structure for a better understanding of the language. The Language Communicator can be found at www.languagecommunicator.com. The webmaster will help you out at info@languagecommunicator.com. Some sentences in English require experience with the language for complete understanding because some words are left out. These sentences are elliptical. These might be mistaken for sentence fragments, but they are not fragments which are unacceptable grammatically. These elliptical sentences are often responses to questions where the left out words are understood because they are present in the question. Look at the following example. When did you eat lunch? When I was at the mall. The answer would be a fragment if appeared alone, but it isn’t because it is the answer to a question. Revise your writing to eliminate sentence fragments but don’t worry about elliptical sentences.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language But.....

Sentence fragments – some of them will pass for the real thing for the untrained eye. Unfortunately, most writers have to submit their work to trained eyes. Some pros even want to use sentence fragments for the effect. That’s okay if they know what they are doing. You can even begin a sentence with but if you know what you are doing and you are looking for a special effect. Never do this if you are going to submit the paper to a stickler. As a writer, in most cases, you need to use the connecting work to make connections. The Language Communicator is the website that will help all writers complete their sentences properly. Learn English as a Second Language by going to www.langugagecommunicator.com. The webmaster will be happy to help you. Contact him at info@languagecommunicator.com. Be a perfect communicator by connecting to this great website.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language but Don't be a Copycat

Idiom for the Day

……copycat..……

If you are a copycat, you steal or copy the work of others. Almost no one loves a copycat and these culprits often get caught. Copycats duplicate the best student in the class to use the so they get the best grades in the class.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language with Enthusiasm

Pronunciation Practice

Practice the pairs and sentences below for better pronunciation.

ill-fill
oh-foe
ox-fox
ale-fail
shower-hour

The ill man cannot fill the drill.
Oh! The foe is fierce
The ox and the fox are in the pen.
Drink ale without fail.
Don’t shower for an hour.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language for Maximum Money

Pronunciation Practice
Practice the pairs and sentences below for better pronunciation.
ill-fill
oh-foe
ox-fox
ale-fail
shower-hour

The ill man cannot fill the drill.
Oh! The foe is fierce
The ox and the fox are in the pen.
Drink ale without fail.
Don’t shower for an hour.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language with Coordinators

All writers should be checking their sentences now to make sure that their writing is perfect. Please get some practice at www.languagecommunicator.com and further information at info@languagecommunicator.com. The last post listed the subordinating conjunctions that often lead to sentence fragments. Coordinating conjunctions such as and, but, or can also lead to incomplete sentences. These conjunctions are joining words and these are usually used to connect words or groups of words that are equal. Example: The boy ran and the girl walked. Look at the sentence and you will see that the groups of words on either side of and are equal. Each side contains a subject and a verb. On either side of the word and are enough words for a complete sentence. The boy ran. The girl walked. To show the connection between the two, they are joined by and. Rarely should a writer begin a sentence with and. Those writers with great skill who want to write creatively might use and at the beginning of sentence but they are creative writers. And the boy walked. The sentence still contains the ingredients of a complete sentence but once and is placed in the sentence some words or groups of words should be connected. So unless you are a creative writer making the big bucks for your creativity, don’t use and at the beginning of a sentence.

Regards,
Barbara92106
www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language without Sentence Fragments

Post #20

Language Communicator can help writers practice complete sentences while helping them with pronunciation as well. The address www.languagecommunicator.com and further information available from the webmaster as info@languagecommunicator.com. Sentence fragments trouble many writers and many times careful revision can help writers eliminate these troublesome group of words. Subordinating conjunctions are often a clue that the group of words is a fragment rather than a complete sentence. In the last post, the example sentence began with although and this is one of the conjunctions that often lead to sentence fragments. Some other words to look for in this category include after, before, while, when, because, wherever, since and several others. Make sure that these subordinating conjunctions that begin subordinate clauses have an independent clause for completion of the sentence.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language without Beating Around the Bush

Idiom for the Day

……beat around the bush..……

If you beat around the bush, you do not get straight to the point of your conversation or speech. Your boss might beat around the bush if you ask for a raise and he or she does not want to disappoint you, but the raise is beyond the budget. Your mother might beat around the bush is your ask to have friends over for a party. Anyone who does not answer a question directly is beating around the bush.

Example: My boss usually beats around the bush in our meetings.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language Unless You are Infirm

Synonyms for the Day

Some new synonyms for the day – sick, ill, infirm

Examples: A sick worker can infect the entire office.
I hate to miss school but I was really ill.
My grandmother was never infirm until she was over eighty years old.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language Unless You are Infirm

Synonyms for the Day

Some new synonyms for the day – sick, ill, infirm

Examples: A sick worker can infect the entire office.
I hate to miss school but I was really ill.
My grandmother was never infirm until she was over eighty years old.

Regards,
Barbara92106

http://www.languagecommunicator.com/

Learn English as a Second Language Unless You are Infirm

Synonyms for the Day

Some new synonyms for the day – sick, ill, infirm

Examples: A sick worker can infect the entire office.
I hate to miss school but I was really ill.
My grandmother was never infirm until she was over eighty years old.
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language and Speak with Spark

Pronunciation Practice
Practice the pairs and sentences below for better pronunciation.
in-fin
air-fair
oar-four
ace-face
eat-feet

The fin is in the bedroom.
The air is fair today.
The four will oar in the race.
His face showed shock at the ace.
He will eat on his feet.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language with Effective Revisions

Complete sentences are the goal of every writer and as noted in the last post, writers can get some great practice at www.languagecommunicator.com. Further information is available at info@languagecommunicator.com. The two errors most common are sentence fragments and run-on sentences. This post will focus on sentence fragments and hopefully writers will pay careful attention to their writing to eliminate these problems. Sentence fragments are punctuated as sentences with the visual signs – a capital letter at the beginning and a period at the end. The sentence fragment usually has those visual signs and a subject and a verb. These errors are usually caused by the absence of one complete thought. Let’s look at some examples of sentence fragments. Although he loved his dog. In this group of words, there are the visual signs of a capital letter at the beginning and a period at the end. There is a noun and a verb used as a subject and predicate. Unfortunately, this is not a complete sentence because it is not a complete thought. Something is missing. This is a perfect example of a subordinate clause punctuated as if it were a sentence. The writer needs to complete the thought with an independent clause. Although he loved his dog, he had to give it to his brother. Check your sentences to make sure you don’t have a dependent clause punctuated as a sentence.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language by Becoming a Bookworm

Idiom for the Day

……bookworm..……

A bookworm is someone who loves to read and usually spends a good portion of their waking hours reading a book. Most bookworms are special for their teachers and parents who often urge other students to follow the example of the bookworm.

Example: Most of the bookworms in our class get good grades.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language with Flying Colors

Synonyms for the Day

Some new synonyms for the day – dirty, filthy, grubby

Examples: His dirty shirt was unacceptable for a job interview.
My mother was really annoyed because my filthy dog ruined her carpet.
Get your grubby hands off of my clean tablecloth

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language for Farms and Fairs

Pronunciation Practice

Practice the pairs and sentences below for better pronunciation.

eye-pie
eel-peel
air-chair
arm-farm
eel-feel

They’ve got their eye on a pie.
The eel ate the peel.
Feel the air in the chair.
She broke her arm on the farm.
The swimmer feels an eel in the pool.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language with Careful Revision

Good writers compose complete sentences. That sounds easy but many writers end up composing sentence fragments or run-on sentences that they punctuate as sentences. The visual signs of a complete sentence is a capital letter at the beginning and a period at the end. These visual signs do not make a group of words a complete sentence although many writers are satisfied with these elements. A complete sentence must be a complete thought. A sentence fragment is less than a complete sentence, and a careful writer will revise their compositions to add the necessary elements to complete their work. A run-on sentence is more than a complete sentence and again, careful revision should eliminate these mistakes. Language Communicator is a great place to practice basic sentence structure. Check it out at www.languagecommunicator.com. Further information is available from the webmaster at info@languagecommunicator.com.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language with Complete Sentences

The key to good writing is composing effective sentences. The clearer a sentence the better the communication in both speaking and writing. Most speakers and writers of the English language know a good sentence when they see one or hear one. Composing the best sentence for each situation is not always a simple task. A missing word or incorrect word can alter the meaning considerably. A sentence can consist of one word such as go or stop, but a sentence can also be made of many words. The definition of a sentence usually reminds a student that a sentence must be a complete thought. Students must be careful to make sure that each group of words punctuated as a complete sentence should be a complete thought. Most sentences include both a subject and a verb although in the one word sentences, the subject is understood. A great place to learn the structure of sentences is Language Communicator which can be accessed at www.languagecommunicator.com. Further information can be obtained with a simple email to info@languagecommunicator.com.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language and Avoid Pernicious People

Synonyms for the Day

Some new synonyms for the day – harmful, pernicious, destructive

Examples: The fumes from the chemical might be harmful.
Her actions showed that she had pernicious intentions.
The destructive twister tore down many homes

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language and Check with the Bean Counter

Idiom for the Day

……bean counter...……

The bean counter in an organization is the person who watches over all the financial matters. This is another word for the accountant. The bean counter keeps track of the money in the bank, the invoices that must be paid and the payments to the employers.

Example: The bean counter had an office near the boss because the chief always depended on her advice.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language and Communicate Concisely

Pronunciation Practice

Practice the pairs and sentences below for better pronunciation.

soil-oil
sour-hour
us-bus
ape-tape
out-shout

There is oil in the soil.
Meet us on the bus.
The ape took the tape.
He will shout if he’s out.
The milk is sour after an hour.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language and Learn the Rules Later

Although the first lessons anyone has in English are usually devoid of grammar concerns, the need for knowledge of the grammar rules soon become evident. Practical exercises for when you want to learn English as a Second Language are available at the Language Communicator website www.languagecommunicator.com. Further information is available with the webmaster info@languagecommunicator.com. The grammar at Language Communicator is not presented using a set of rules but the practice is realistic. Rather than learning the rules of the tenses, the Language Communicator has practice for students to use these rules. As a baby, you didn’t learn your first language by memorizing rules and with Language Communicator you can learn English as a Second Language without memorizing the rules. Students will not have to learn terms although these are important later. The Language Communicator presents visual and audio tools to practice the important rules without tedious memorization or tests. The Language Communicator is the best place to start and the purchase price is reasonable.
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Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language but Don't Count Your Chickens before they Hatch

Idiom for the Day

……count your chickens before they hatch...……

It’s fun to hope that you will have great rewards in the future, but sometimes these hopes do quite work out. If you figure out that your work will pay off before you finish the job, you are counting your chickens before they hatch. People who count their chickens before they hatch are often disappointed.

I was very disappointed when I didn’t win the lottery, but I learned that I should not count my chickens before they hatch.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language in the Comfort of your Home

Language Communicator is a great place to learn English as a Second Language. Go to www.languagecomunicator.com to start your first lesson. Your first language starts day one shortly after birth and is effortless at first. You literally listen and learn. Good news – no one expects an infant to respond with words so you can cry a little to get what you want while you learn English as a Second Language. At the early stages, an infant doesn’t worry about grammar and structure, but they learn it anyway. An infant learns their first language without terms like nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives. But they learn how these words fit into these structures and they hear the different types of words. Infants don’t have to learn while sitting in an uncomfortable chair or staring at a computer screen. They learn English as a first language while snug as a bug in their cribs. Learn English as a Second Language with appropriate visuals on the website with a different kind of ease. For more information contact the webmaster info@languagecommunicator.com.

Learn English as a Second Language to Embellish your Prose

Synonyms for the Day

Some new synonyms for the day – decorate, embellish, adorn

Examples: The firm will decorate the offices.
The writer will embellish the prose with fancy words.
The tree for the holidays will be adorned with special lights.

Regards,
Barbara92106

http://www.languagecommunicator.com/

Learn English as a Second Language for a Better Future

Pronunciation Practice

Practice the pairs and sentences below for better pronunciation.

seal-eel
seat-eat
sad-add
soak-oak
sold-old

The seal and the eel are in their tanks.
Don’t eat in that seat.
If you can’t add, you’ll be sad.
The gardener will soak the oak.
The old man sold the car.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language for Clear Communication

Language Communicator is the website for the best place to learn English as a Second Language especially for those who want to communicate effectively. The tenses of the verbs are designed to communicate time. The speaker or the writer of English wants to tell their listeners or their readers when an action is performed. Did the writer run yesterday or will they run tomorrow? Did the speaker drive today earlier or are they driving presently? Sometimes the smallest change in a word can communicate a wealth of information. Add ed to walk and the time changes to the past. I walk changed to I walked – the ed changes the time from the present to the past. Speakers and writers want to understand the tenses well so they can communicate effectively when they write or speak. Go to www.languagecommunicator.com to try out this great site that will help students understand and use the tenses properly. Further information can be obtained by going to info@languagecommunicator.com.

Regards.
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language with Ease

Pronunciation Practice

Practice the pairs and sentences below for better pronunciation.

air-care
old-cold
aim-came
ill-kill
arm-calm

Take care of the air.
I’m too old for the cold.
He came with an aim.
My sister was calm when she broke her arm.
Don’t kill if you’re ill.

Don’t forget to practice the previous sets as much as possible.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com

Learn English as a Second Language to Help Your Career

Synonyms for the Day

Some new synonyms for the day – help, assist, aid

Examples: The nurse helps all of the patients.
Will you assist me with my homework?
The aid to the earthquake victims will arrive soon.

Regards,
Barbara92106

www.languagecommunicator.com