Study: Malaysia has best English language speakers in Asia - Nation | The Star Online - 0 views
-
Malaysia apparently has the best English language speakers in Asia, beating out Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, China and Kazakhstan - according to a Singapore-based English Language school.
-
The school, Education First, which released the findings of their English Proficiency Index on their website Wednesday, ranked Malaysia as having the highest level of English proficiency out of 13 countries in Asia.
-
On the global scale, Malaysia was ranked 11th out of 60 countries, with four of the top five slots going to Scandinavian countries, with Sweden and Norway taking the top two spots and Malaysia outperforming Singapore, Belgium, Germany, Latvia and Switzerland - countries which took the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th spots respectively.
- ...8 more annotations...
How Do You Cite a Tweet in an Academic Paper? - Alexis C. Madrigal - The Atlantic - 0 views
-
Begin the entry in the works-cited list with the author's real name and, in parentheses, user name, if both are known and they differ. If only the user name is known, give it alone.Next provide the entire text of the tweet in quotation marks, without changing the capitalization. Conclude the entry with the date and time of the message and the medium of publication (Tweet).
-
For example:Athar, Sohaib (ReallyVirtual). "Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event)." 1 May 2011, 3:58 p.m. Tweet.
-
The date and time of a message on Twitter reflect the reader's time zone. Readers in different time zones see different times and, possibly, dates on the same tweet. The date and time that were in effect for the writer of the tweet when it was transmitted are normally not known. Thus, the date and time displayed on Twitter are only approximate guides to the timing of a tweet.
Short Stories for ESL Learners | The Slow Computer - 0 views
-
Victor turned on his computer. White letters appeared near the bottom of the black screen: "Resuming Windows." Victor wondered how long it was going to take this time. Five minutes later, the light blue screen appeared: "To begin, click your user name." He clicked on his name. Then he filled a pot with water to make some fresh coffee. He returned to his computer. The desktop icons had still not appeared. Victor went into his bedroom, took the sheet off the bed and the pillowcases off the pillows, and threw them all into the clothes basket on the floor. He vacuumed his bedroom, and then returned to his computer. A few minutes later, the desktop appeared, with about 40 icons on it. He liked how colorful they were. He clicked on his Word icon. Then he went into the bathroom and shaved. He came back out to the dining room, made himself a cup of coffee, and sat down. Word opened, a full half hour after Victor had turned his computer on. Victor typed his first name into the document. For about ten seconds, the screen was totally blank. Then "Victor" slowly appeared, one ... letter ... after ... another.
What is the best horror story you can come up with in two sentences. : AskReddit - 0 views
-
ADGE_S 1253 points1254 points1255 points 7 months agosorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted onWhen I finally grabbed her in the darkness, I swam back to the surface. It never occurred to me how fast the ice could freeze over.
-
I mean, I know that hypothermia drastically reduces the blood flow to the skin and limbs, and then if you pour hot water, the heat won't dissipate as fast as usual and it can actually burn the skin. But apart from that I don't know of anything that would qualify as the famous thermal shock.
-
[–]nkeithb 32 points33 points34 points 7 months agosorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted onEMT here. The danger with active warming (hot water bath) over passive warming (blankets), is the blood left in your limbs is very cold. Your body uses all the warm blood for the trunk of the body. If you put someone into hot water you run this risk of opening up the circulation in the extremities, sending cold blood into the heart. This will result in cardiac arrest and then death.
- ...1 more annotation...
6 Women Scientists Who Were Snubbed Due to Sexism - 0 views
-
Several people posted comments about our story that noted one name was missing from the Nobel roster: Rosalind Franklin, a British biophysicist who also studied DNA. Her data were critical to Crick and Watson's work. But it turns out that Franklin would not have been eligible for the prize—she had passed away four years before Watson, Crick, and Wilkins received the prize, and the Nobel is never awarded posthumously.But even if she had been alive, she may still have been overlooked. Like many women scientists, Franklin was robbed of recognition throughout her career (See her section below for details.)
-
Pulsars are the remnants of massive stars that went supernova. Their very existence demonstrates that these giants didn't blow themselves into oblivion—instead, they left behind small, incredibly dense, rotating stars.Bell Burnell discovered the recurring signals given off by their rotation while analyzing data printed out on three miles of paper from a radio telescope she helped assemble.The finding resulted in a Nobel Prize, but the 1974 award in physics went to Anthony Hewish—Bell Burnell's supervisor—and Martin Ryle, also a radio astronomer at Cambridge University.The snub generated a "wave of sympathy" for Bell Burnell. But in an interview with National Geographic News this month, the astronomer was fairly matter-of-fact.
-
despite the sympathy, and her groundbreaking work, Bell Burnell said she was still subject to the prevailing attitudes toward women in academia.
- ...9 more annotations...
Being Poor - Whatever - 0 views
-
Being poor is getting angry at your kids for asking for all the crap they see on TV.
-
eing poor is relying on people who don’t give a damn about you.
-
Being poor is not taking the job because you can’t find someone you trust to watch your kids.
- ...205 more annotations...
Let's Call All Terrorists "Terrorists" - 0 views
-
In the hours since the shooting, politicians and the media have universally condemned the gunmen as "terrorists" and called their actions "terrorism." And for good reason, too: the killing of unarmed civilians for apparently political or religious reasons is the classic definition of terrorism.
-
2011 Norway attacks, where a white right-wing extremist and racist named Anders Breivik killed 77 people during a rampage through Oslo and a nearby summer camp.
-
If Breivik's name were "Omar" and he said that he acted in the name of Islam as opposed to "Europe" and Christianity, I doubt people like Michael Morell would forget who he is or what he did.
- ...5 more annotations...
Teens Favorite Inspirational Movies - 0 views
-
50/50: Confronting the Inevitable by Ryan.Paine (This teen struggled dramatically with the thought of death)
-
A Beautiful Mind inspired me to explore the world’s mysteries by Jonesy1106 (“I need to believe that something extraordinary is possible”)
-
A Goofy Movie taught me how to be a better daughter by jklawls (Parents have their kids’ best interests at heart)
- ...15 more annotations...
-
"This is the formal summary report from StageofLife.com on Teens and Movies. Below you'll find our poll results outlining how teens consume movies at the theater and at home along with over 100 of the featured essays from students participating in our monthly national teen writing contest. Knowing teenagers and college students are a prime demographic for the big movie houses, we wanted to find out what films speak to teens and college students. Which movies are the most inspiring? What movies help make a positive difference in this world? So in April of 2012, we asked 4,885 teens who visited our writing contest page that month to name and write about the one film that made the biggest difference in their life. Hundreds of teens participated in the writing contest and shared a story about the film that touched or inspired them the most. "
ESL Cafe's Idea Cookbook - Getting older students interested - 0 views
-
"Get students thinking of why english is important and how they will learn it. Think up a few categories of things. Transportation, food, tools, clothing, rooms in house and feelings usually are good ones. Next ask each student to get out a sheet of paper and a pencil. As you name each category students must think of the thing in that category that makes him think of english class and why. For example in the category feelings: Scary because he might have to talk in another language.In the category room a student could choose the kitchen because there is a lot of interaction going on. The teacher then invites students to say their answer out loud and reason why he chose it. This helps the teacher to get to know his students and discuss their apprehensions, ideas and goals about the class. Students also get to know each other and find out that maybe they are not the only ones with those feelings. Teacher can follow up by explaining how class will proceed, what they'll do and what he expects from them."
2001 Waka - Izumi - 0 views
-
Her poetry suggests she had a large number of other lovers (she remarks that 'my very eyes feel amorous'), but her diary, Izumi Shikibu Nikki, is one of the principal Heian court works and her poetic memoirs, Izumi Shikibu Shû, which exist in various forms, ranging from 647 to 902 poems, remains the most outstanding work by a single poet from the period.
-
Like her contemporary Murasaki Shikibu, Izumi Shikibu (?976-?) served at the court of Fujiwara no Akiko (藤原彰子)(Shôshi). Also like her, we know only the barest details of Izumi Shikibu's life, not even her real name (Izumi derives from the fact that her husband, Tachibana no Michisada, was governor of Izumi province). Unlike Murasaki, however, Izumi Shikibu was anything but a solitary intellectual.
Rafeef Ziadeh - We Teach Life, Sir! - YouTube - 0 views
-
Today, my body was a TV'd massacre. Today, my body was a TV'd massacre that had to fit into sound-bites and word limits. Today, my body was a TV'd massacre that had to fit into sound-bites and word limits filled enough with statistics to counter measured response. And I perfected my English and I learned my UN resolutions. But still, he asked me, Ms. Ziadah, don't you think that everything would be resolved if you would just stop teaching so much hatred to your children? Pause. I look inside of me for strength to be patient but patience is not at the tip of my tongue as the bombs drop over Gaza. Patience has just escaped me. Pause. Smile. We teach life, sir. Rafeef, remember to smile. Pause. We teach life, sir. We Palestinians teach life after they have occupied the last sky. We teach life after they have built their settlements and apartheid walls, after the last skies. We teach life, sir. But today, my body was a TV'd massacre made to fit into sound-bites and word limits. And just give us a story, a human story. You see, this is not political. We just want to tell people about you and your people so give us a human story. Don't mention that word "apartheid" and "occupation". This is not political. You have to help me as a journalist to help you tell your story which is not a political story. Today, my body was a TV'd massacre. How about you give us a story of a woman in Gaza who needs medication? How about you? Do you have enough bone-broken limbs to cover the sun? Hand me over your dead and give me the list of their names in one thousand two hundred word limits. Today, my body was a TV'd massacre that had to fit into sound-bites and word limits and move those that are desensitized to terrorist blood. But they felt sorry. They felt sorry for the cattle over Gaza. So, I give them UN resolutions and statistics and we condemn and we deplore and we reject. And these are not two equal sides: occupier and occupied. And a hundred dead, two hundred dead, and a thousand de
Read and Rhyme - Children's ESL - 0 views
-
we are going to pass around this sack (hold up sack filled with word-recognition words). When the sack gets to you, pull out one card, sound out the word on your card silently, and then read the word aloud quickly while holding up your card so that everyone can see it. Model this using a word in the sack. Once you have read your word, the rest of us will indicate if you’ve read the word correctly. If we think you read the word correctly, we will touch our noses. If we think you made a mistake, we will keep our hands in our laps. If you read the word correctly, you must name another word that rhymes with your word in order to keep the card you drew. For example, if you read the word rat correctly, you must state a word that rhymes with rat, such as cat, in order to keep the card. If you can’t think of a word that rhymes with rat, I will call on someone else to come up with a rhyming word. If that person is correct, she gets to keep the card. If the second student can’t come up with a rhyming word (real or nonsense), call on other students until someone is able to come up with a rhyming word. Now, if you did not read the word you pulled out of the sack correctly, hand the card to the person to your left, so that he gets a chance to read the word and name a rhyming word. The winner of the game is the person with the most word cards once the sack is empty.
-
Read and Rhyme challenges students to pronounce target words as well as coming up with words that rhyme. This exercise is a great way to build an ever increasing vocabulary through sound association. You'll need a deck of cards that contains word recognition word learned so far, and a small sack. The goal of the activity is given a written regular word, the student can say the word with automaticity, as well as deepening students' knowledge of words that rhyme.
HOW TO WRITE A GOOD SUMMARY (PMR) - 0 views
-
You will be asked to write a summary of not more than 60 words in Section B of the PMR English Language Paper 2 � Read the text carefully to identify important facts. � Underline the important facts �leave out details like example or lengthy descriptions. � Write out your summary using your own words as far as possible but using the same tense as in the passage. � You must use /begin your summary with the 10 words given. � Use connectors or whatever suitable words to link the fact. � Write your summary in not more than 60 words and in one paragraph. � Count the actual number of words. Name of people and places are considered as one word. Examples: Kota Kinabalu, Tun Mahathir Mohamad � Don�t forget to write the number of words in brackets as the end of your summary.
Vocabulary-Lesson Plans and Activities | ESL Voices - 0 views
-
Guessing Meanings From Context Learners who can guess the meanings of words from context are able to read and decipher words independently, outside of class and are prepared for the vocabulary included in standardized tests such as the TOEFL. Linguist Paul Nation suggests teaching students the following procedure for guessing the meaning of words in context. 1. Look at the unknown word and identify its part of speech. For example, is it a noun, verb, or adjective? 2. Next, look at the sentence containing the unknown word. If the word is a noun, what adjectives describe it? If it is a verb, then what nouns go with it? 3. Study the relationship between the sentence containing the unknown word and the other sentences. Are there cues like conjunctions (because, but, if)? Are there any adverbs (however)? The possible types of relationships are cause and effect, contrasts, and summary . 4. Try to guess the meaning of the word. 5. Use an English-English dictionary to see if you were correct. New Ways in Teaching Vocabulary by Paul Nation.
-
Using Graphic Organizers Another effective strategy for teaching the meanings of words is the use of graphic organizers. There are literally dozens of styles, and each has its unique purpose. One example would be a vocabulary map for analyzing new words and their associations: On the board draw a circle or a square and write the word: Draw a circle next to it and place the part of speech Draw another for a synonym Draw one for antonym Underneath draw a square for a sentence using the word, another square for a picture representing the word, and another square for the definition of the word. Have students work in groups on one of these charts and then share their work with the class. Find more ideas for graphic organizers at Graphic Organizers Enchanted Learning.
-
Antonyms, Synonyms and Homophones Whenever students encounter a new word, they should record it into their vocabulary notebooks (see introduction) and add not only the meaning but as many associations as possible, including antonyms, synonyms, and homophones related to the word. Antonyms are words that mean the opposite of each other. Example: The antonym of long is short. Synonyms are words that have similar meanings. Example: Some synonyms for long are lengthy and elongated. Homophones are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently. Examples: new, knew Homographs (or homonyms) are words that are spelled the same but are pronounced differently and have different meanings. Examples: wind (noun, air current) and wind (verb, operate by turning a key or handle). Not all words have homophones or homographs. Additional Sources: Online Thesaurus Synonyms, Antonyms, Homonyms
- ...3 more annotations...
-
When it comes to teaching vocabulary, one challenge is knowing which words and phrases to teach. There are several areas that should always be included in vocabulary instruction. In addition to single words, idioms: (time on my hands, getting cold feet) and phrasal verbs (get in, go out). It's especially important for students to learn idioms, phrasal verbs, because there's no logical way to figure out their meaning from the individual words. Also keep in mind that reading is a channel for new vocabulary growth, so always include vocabulary exercises whenever you assign new reading material. It's also a good idea to have students keep a vocabulary notebook. The notebook could be organized into sections for words from novels, selected readings, or news articles, as well as vocabulary they've encountered at random. However the vocabulary books are organized, make sure everyone has the same plan. In this section there are several good strategies you can use for teaching vocabulary. There are also activities you can try with your students to increase their knowledge of English vocabulary.
Etymology - English Word Histories - Stories of Words - Definition of Etymology - 0 views
-
A definition tells us what a word means and how it's used in our own time. An etymology tells us where a word came from (often, but not always, from another language) and what it used to mean.
-
The word etymology is derived from the Greek word etymon, which means "the true sense of a word." But in fact the original meaning of a word is often different from its contemporary definition. The meanings of many words have changed over time, and older senses of a word may grow uncommon or disappear entirely from everyday use. Disaster, for instance, no longer means the "evil influence of a star or planet," just as consider no longer means "to observe the stars."
-
New words have entered (and continue to enter) the English language in many different ways. Here are some of the most common ways.
- ...9 more annotations...
Who Is Dangerdust? An Exclusive | Columbus College of Art & Design Blog - 0 views
-
They’ve been popping up on campus all semester: intricately worked chalkboard messages with one signature, #dangerdust. Dangerdust has captured the attention of students and taken social media by storm. I recently sat down with the artistic duo and, while I can’t name names, I did get a sense of who these artists are and what drives them.
-
the duo is serious about keeping their late-night chalking escapades on the down low even as they were kind enough to talk to me about why they do what they do. “It’s definitely a passion,” they agreed.
Yookoso! Study Japanese language, Kanji; learn about Japanese travel, culture, life, music (JPOP) and more - 0 views
-
Are you studying Japanese, thinking of visiting Japan, interested in Japanese culture, people, products, etc.? If so, this site is for you. My name is Jeff Blum and I have been attempting to learn Japanese, off and on, for many years (my progress is very slow). During my studies (both independent and class-based) I have assembled notes summarizing key grammar constructs, word usage nuance, aspects of the language that regularly trip me up, etc. In fact, the name for this site (besides being, well, "welcoming") came from my desire to post my summary notes for the popular Yookoso! textbooks. I have also assembled a huge collection of links to the best sites on the Internet. All of these (well, actually I still haven't posted many of them yet), plus some of my favorite JPOP tunes and their lyrics I share with you here. If you have any feedback to offer, or especially if you want to contribute notes of your own or articles you have written, please do so at jmblum@yookoso.com.
Houston - 75 ESL Teaching Ideas (TESL/TEFL) - 0 views
-
Ask a student to demonstrate a dance, and assist the student in explaining the movements in English.
-
Ask students to name as many objects in the classroom as they can while you write them on the board.
-
Ask your students if there are any songs running through their heads today. If anyone says yes, encourage the student to sing or hum a little bit, and ask the others if they can identify it.
- ...15 more annotations...
Proposed changes to autism and Asperger syndrome diagnostic criteria - | autism | Asperger syndrome | - 0 views
-
NAS welcomes the overall proposed approach to streamline diagnostic criteria and make them simpler, to develop dimensional measures of severity and recognise the range of full health problems someone is experiencing, as well as any other factors that impact on their diagnosis.
-
the proposed severity levels are not fit for purpose and potentially very unhelpful as they are currently drafted
-
need to be much more detail to make the severity levels appropriate and widely applicable.
- ...14 more annotations...