TO BE CONTINUED...
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Monday, January 1, 2024
THE PRONUNCIATION CONUNDRUM FOR MANY ENGLISH USERS
3.SCHEDULE
4.ADVERTISEMENT: AD-VER-TIS-MUHNT (UK) ; AD-VER-TAIS-MUHNT (US)
5.DYNASTY: DIN-UH-STEE(UK) ; DAHY-NUH-STEE (US)
6.ZEBRA: ZEB-RUH (UK) ; ZEE-BRUH(US)
7.FINANCE
8.MENTOR
9. CARIACATURE
10. DEMON
11. DIVORCE
12. DIRECTOR
13.BECAUSE
14. SEQUEL
15. PEDAGOGY
16. ATHLETE
17. POEM
18. IMAGE
19. MALL
20. PRECIOUS
PLEASE REFER TO https://dictionary.cambridge.org if needed.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Sunday, October 1, 2023
SOCIAL TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
- USE OF PLASTICS
- DIGITAL PAYMENTS
- NEW MOVIES
- ONLINE EDUCATION
- SHOPPING MALLS
- SOCIAL MEDIA
- ONLINE SHOPPING
- FAST FOOD
- LOVE MARRIAGES
- FASHION TRENDS
- TV SERIALS
- EXTRAVAGANT WEDDINGS
- MNREGA
TO BE CONTINUED...
Tuesday, August 1, 2023
EC CLASS
An "English Communication(EC)" classroom
Number of students: 30Duration of the class: 2 hours
PARTS OF THE EXERCISE
1. Main Exercise: A few speakers(seven or more) will speak on the selected topic for 2-3 minutes.
2. Ground Work Exercise: Before the main exercise starts a group of people(three or more) from the audience will act as friends(also called friendly circle) and ask the selected speaker a few questions informally and privately to guide him/her in thinking critically and
comprehensibly about the topic in order to deliver a good speech publically. This can last for 1-2 minutes.
3. Interactive Session: After every speech is over, a few questions will be asked from the audience side about some of the points mentioned in the speech.
4. Doing the ABC: After the speaking exercise is over, the participants can do ABC that means Activity-Booklet Compilation. All the speakers who have delivered their speeches will make a booklet by compiling their speeches in written format for future reference.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE EXERCISE
1. Slips: Making a lot of small slips on which the topics to speak are written, folded and kept on the speaking desk to pick and choose for the speaker.
2. Making a friendly circle: Selecting a few students from the first row(to begin with) to help the main speaker to think about the topic and compose a speech mentally.
3. Interaction and discussion: After the speech is delivered, the people in the audience can ask questions or reflect on the content of the speech to probe the topic further to understand and appreciate the English communication skills of the speaker.
Some of the topics for this exercise are:
1. A typical festival in your country
2. One of the happiest events in your life
3. Your favourite institution
4. Your ideal home
5. The place where you grew up
6. A person from your childhood whom you admired very much
7. A skill which is also a hobby
A few more topics for doing this exercise are:
Your favourite food/dish
Your favourite actor/stage performer
Your favourite movie/drama
Your favourite short story/poem
Your favourite music/musical instrument
Your favourite dance form/dancer
Your favourite song/singer
Your favourite TV show/channel/personality/anchor
Your favourite historical personality/period
Your favourite country
Your favourite hotel/shop
Your favourite possession
Your favourite tourist spot
Your favourite hobby
Your favourite mode of travel
Your favourite subject to study
Your favourite friend
Your favourite leader/role model
Your favourite game/player
Your favourite celebrity
A person in your family
What do you like the most about your "self"/job/life/place/state/country/world?
What do you dislike the most about your "self"/job/life/place/state/country/world?
A typical day in your life (a week day).
How do you spend your weekends?
The first day in your school/college/job
An important decision of your life.
A memorable family function
A memorable party
A memorable public function
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TO BE CONTINUED...
Monday, July 31, 2023
SIMILES FOR A FRIEND
Physician A soft bandage and a soothing ointment for the cuts and bruises of life.
Botanist A vine that clings to us and hides the discrepancies and rough places of life.
Florist Greater the ruins, the more closer a friend clings.
Jeweller A golden link in the chain of life.
A person in mourning One who comes in when the whole world goes out.
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
ONLINE NETWORKING TIPS
1) Your profile picture, headline and summary are the 3 golden words on LinkedIn, use them well.
2) Engage with other people’s content by adding meaningful comments.
3) Post relatable, observational and knowledgeable content that gives insights or drives conversations.
4) Don’t shy away from creating content just because you feel that no one would read your content or that you don’t have enough experience to talk about something.
5) Build a good network by connecting with relevant people.
6) Be consistent in everything.
COURTESY - LinkedIn
TO BE CONTINUED...
Saturday, April 1, 2023
GROUP DISCUSSION
A GROUP DISCUSSION (GD)
TOPIC - Are we getting addicted to TV serials?
PARTICIPANTS: Ajay, Eva, Binila, Chandru and Salim
Welcoming all to the GD...Let's start.
Ajay:
Dear friends, with your permission I would like to initiate the group
discussion on “Are we getting
addicted to TV serials?” Could you please lend me your ears?
Eva:
Of course, we are all ears. Please do continue.
Ajay:
Well, Television today, has become an important member of our family. There are
many kinds of TV channels showing a variety of programmes like News, Sports,
Movies, Music,Travel etc. However, in the evenings, people usually prefer to
watch their favourite serials or soap operas. I am afraid this has now become a
kind of addiction. Some of us find it very difficult to skip an episode. We
empathise with the characters so much that we always think about these characters
and eagerly wait to see them again. And most of the serials are tearjerkers trying
to attract the viewers by arousing the emotions of sympathy, sadness, anger
etc. In short, serials have become a kind of opium for the masses. And the MNC’s
which sponsor these serials show the advertisements of their products in
between the episodes at the drop of a hat. They therefore make hay while the
sun shines.
Binila:
I do agree with Ajay that serials aren’t influencing us in a good way and
watching them for a long time does make us empathize with the characters
deeply. Some of us take a liking to these serials which show the protagonist as
an innocent, vulnerable and gullible person who is made to suffer endlessly for
no fault of theirs. The same formula has been repeated in an umpteen number of serials.
Chandru:
Nowadays besides tearjerkers there are horror serials, comedy serials,
mythological ones also, catering to the taste of a wide variety of audiences
spanning across genders, ages and regions. The number of couch potatoes in our
society is going up every day.
Ajay:
But I doubt whether other types of programmes hook our audiences as much as
these sentimental serials. Can anybody explain why?
Salim:
Well, as Miss Binila rightly pointed out, the serials makers fill the episodes
with a lot of emotional melodrama, gorgeous faces, twists in the plots etc. All
the tricks of the trade are employed to play to the galleries. They take
inspiration from popular movies, contemporary events and the present trends in
the society. And I must say that some serials do make a good viewing experience
giving the audience some food for thought as well.
Eva:
With due regards to all your noble opinions, I think youngsters like me care
two hoots for these silly tearjerkers that enthuse only the namby pamby ones. I
watch TV for movies, musical contests and reality shows that keeps me enthused.
And unlike serials there is no fear of addiction
as there is no suspense element in these programmes. They are magnificent with
spectacular visuals, sound effects and choreography.
Binitha:
Talking about visuals I think the computer graphics has made TV viewing a
really enthralling with a lot of edge of the seat experiences.
Ajay:
I am afraid, we are deviating slightly from the main topic ie., are we getting
addicted to TV serials?
Salim: I think the main reason for some people getting addicted to TV serials is that they don’t consider their leisure time an opportunity to develop various other aspects of their personality that remains passive during the day’s work.
---------------------------------------------------