Greetings from Languagelab, welcome to our new features:
7 day free trial!
The Grammar House
Easy payment via Paypal!
City people
(our new professional actors to help you study in real life situations)
Here at Languagelab we help with every detail in learning English. Our professional native ESL teachers are from a wide range of English speaking countries from London to Los Angeles, Sydney to Southampton and many more. We can help you learn the important differences between different types of English for example*:
*not 100% for all cases, there are some exceptions.
The differences are not just in the spelling but cultural too!
Can you notice differences between British and American English?
Easy? Then take our level test now! Check below for the answers and join our new Myspace and Facebook pages too:
www.myspace.com/wearelanguagelab
www.facebook.com
Search:
“We Are Languagelab”
“Second Life in English City” (Groups)
Don’t forget to try our FREE lessons, we KNOW you will have fun learning English with Languagelab.
See you soon;-)
ANSWERS:
1. USA/UK
2. USA/UK
3. UK/USA
4. USA/UK
Similar words
Did you try our 7 day free lesson trial? We are sure you will enjoy studying at Languagelab.
Some words have similar meanings but are used differently like: “go” and “come”
Let’s go to the Grammar House.
You should come to the Grammar House.
Fill in the gaps:
Well done! Check below for answers. Now go and try our level test. Enjoy!!!
New Languagelab features:
Myspace and Facebook page:www.myspace.com/wearelanguagelaband
www.facebook.com
Search:
“We Are Languagelab” or
“Second Life in English City” (Groups)
7 day free trial!
The Grammar House
Easy payment via Paypal!
City people
(our new professional actors to help you study in real life situations)
ANSWERS:
1. You should listen to your English teacher/ Can you hear your English teacher?
2. Can I borrow your dictionary?/ I will lend you my dictionary.
3. That shirt fits the teacher perfectly./ The teacher’s new hair cut suits him.
The English language contains a number of bizarre pronunciations. Here at Languagelab, we provide real-life, native English speaking teachers to help you hear, practice and speak English the ‘natural’ way. If you aren’t already a student with us, simply enrol with us to try it out at our free trial lessons!
In the meantime, have a look at these ‘silent letter’ tips to help you say those strange words correctly.
“bt” (silent b) – debt, doubtful, subtle.
“kn” (silent k) – knife, knock, know.
For more examples, please visit these websites:
http://home.alphalink.com.au/~umbidas/ie_words.htm
http://www.kwiznet.com/p/takeQuiz.php?ChapterID=10017&CurriculumID=26.
Now try these 10 other difficult to pronounce words and send us a video of you saying them. If our specialist teachers score you 10 out of 10, you will qualify for a special prize.
1. Knowledgeable
2. Ought
3. February
4. Hierarchal
5. Entrepreneurial
6. Necessarily
7. Phlegm
8. Column
9. Months
10. Calvary
For free trial lessons, take the level test now.
In English, speech changes depending on who you are talking to. Sometimes it is important to use “polite” English if you are in a formal environment and the opposite also applies. Click here to see examples of this in English City.
Now have a look at the difference between the sentences below:
· Formal………………. Could you tell me where I need to go to book my level test, please?
· Informal…………….. Tell me where I need to go to book my level test.
Ok, so now make these sentences formal:
1. What is the answer to my English problem?
2. How can I find out more about Languagelab?
Check for some example answers on our below.
There are many more techniques of how to apply formal speech to everyday language so if you would like to know more, sign up for the free English lesson trial at the Languagelab Registration Centre… Before you take your trial lessons, make sure you remember to take the level test first!
ANSWERS:
1. Could you let me know what the answer is to my English problem? Would you please tell me what the answer is to my English question?
2. How may I find out more about Languagelab? Would you mind telling me how I can find out more about Languagelab.
Understanding and correctly using English can open up a world of opportunities… Here at language lab, we equip our students with all the necessary skills required to be an all-rounder at English.
Let’s see how good you already are with our short ‘spot the error’ quiz below (correct the error):
1. I can read and write and speak English.
2. Languagelab will helping improve my English.
3. Grammar will prepare the ground for more better English.
4. Perfecting one’s communicative abilities relies on continuous practice.
Phew! You can check for the answers below. Now see if you can take on the full version level test to find out how great your English really is.
See you in the next class!
ANSWERS:
1. I can read, write and speak English.
2. Languagelab will help improve my English.
3. Grammar will prepare the ground for better English.
4. Perfecting one’s communicative ability relies on continuous practice.
‘It’s raining cats and dogs’, which would be a strange thing even in London where it does rain a lot! This actually means that it is raining very heavily. Idioms are one of the most difficult things to understand and use correctly when learning a language. There are thousands of idioms in English and they make the language colourful and exciting, you can also find out interesting things about the culture of a country from their idioms.
Here is the answer to my idiom quiz question:
What does “to show someone the ropes” mean?
- b. To explain and show someone how to do a particular job.
Here are some links to some idioms so you can look at them yourself, but why not choose your favourite idioms and practice them with the City People? They will be able to share more idioms with you, so you can make your English more like a native speaker in no time! Enjoy the activity.
http://www.idiomconnection.com/
http://towerofenglish.com/eslcafecomslanglist.html
http://towerofenglish.com/AthensAegean6720.html
http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/bl_phrasequiz1.htm
I love the English language and discovering new words, that’s right, even teachers need to keep learning new words. One of my favourite things is called ‘Word a Day’, it gives me a new word every day to learn and improve my vocabulary, why don’t you have a look?
Vocabulary Quiz Answers
|
a
|
7
|
|
b
|
6
|
|
c
|
5
|
|
d
|
1
|
|
e
|
8
|
|
f
|
2
|
|
g
|
3
|
|
h
|
4
|
English is a language that is constantly growing, especially with new technology and better and faster communication because of the internet. It is very important to have a wide vocabulary when you are learning a language, so you can understand films, podcasts and your class mates and teachers.
Here are some of my tips to improving your vocabulary:
1. Read as much as you can, but read things that you enjoy so you don’t get bored.
- Make a note of your new words in a vocabulary book; this will be like your own dictionary.
- Listen to people talking and ask them what new words mean, teachers, others students and the City People love sharing new words.
- Try to practice the new words you have learned, if you have seen a new word or learned a new word in class, go and visit the City People and try to use it in a conversation.
- Set yourself a goal, for example learning 1 new word every day and how to use it well, you will feel great when you look back at your progress.
Here are some extra links for you to check out:
http://esl.about.com/library/vocabulary/blinternet.htm
http://www.esl-lab.com/vocab/v-computers.htm
http://a4esl.org/q/h/vc-subjects-lb.html
Here are the answers to the Present Perfect Quiz:
1.
(you/ take/level test?) |
Have you taken the level test? |
| 2. (you/downloaded/the software?) |
Have you downloaded the software? |
| 3. (you/choose/a subscription?) |
Have you chosen a subscription? |
| 4. (you/meet/a teacher at Languagelab?) |
Have you met a teacher at Languagelab? |
Here is some extra information about the present perfect tense:
How do I make the present perfect tense?
We form the Present Perfect with have and the past participle
|
have/has + past participle
|
Example:
I have taken the level test.
She has enrolled for a class.
They have met their teacher. |
You can also ask questions using the present perfect simple, to ask someone if they have done something.
Example:
Have you seen the new James Bond film?
We use the Present Perfect for actions in the past which have a connection to the present. The time when these actions happened is not important.
We use the Present Perfect for recently completed actions.
Example:
I’ve just seen Mary, she is outside.
We use the Present Perfect for actions beginning in the past and still continuing.
I’ve lived in my house since 2002.
If you want to find out more about when and how to use the Present Perfect tense, why not visit the Grammar House or ask your teacher?
Here are some more links to get you started on the present perfect:
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfect.html
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/upperf.htm
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-grammar-definitions-present-perfect.htm
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2527/presentperfect.html
