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Wednesday, September 01, 2010
- These two words are confused on a fairly regular basis by ESL students.
Lose (past - lost, past participle - lost) is a verb. If you lose something, you fail to keep it. People routinely lose money, keys, documents, glasses etc.
More examples:
Initially, Jimmy started to go swimming because he wanted to lose weight. He enjoyed swimming very much and eventually decided to become a lifeguard. In his opinion, there are too many people who lose their lives in drowning incidents. As a lifeguard, he’s trained to help people who lose their consciousness or balance while in the water.
Additional examples:
‘lose control’ - The driver lost control of the car and crashed into the building.
‘lose temper’ - Teenagers sometimes lose temper and start yelling at their parents.
‘lose a job’ - Many people lost jobs during the last recession
‘lose hair’ - Peter is getting bald. He may be losing hair due to a lot of stress he has been through lately.
- Also, you you don’t win, you lose (in competitions, games, matches and wars).
After the injury, she lost to her opponent 4-6.
The ‘s’ in the verb ‘lose’ sounds as ‘z’. ‘Lose’ rhymes with ‘shoes’ and ‘whose’.
‘Loose’ is usually used as an adjective. It means ‘not tight’, or ‘not restrained’.
Examples:
My six-year-old niece likes to wear her hair loose - falling down on her shoulders - no braids or pony tails! She doesn’t like tight clothes - only loose T-shirts. She has 3 loose teeth - they’ve been wiggly for a while. When she finally loses them, she’ll put them under the pillow so that a toothfairy can visit her. And yes.. she likes to fidget in her chair. All 4 legs in her chair are wobbly - they have loose screws and need tightening. She’s a real angel!
More examples:
‘loose rocks’ - They built a fence to prevent loose rocks from falling down the mountain.
‘loose pages’ - The wind blew the notebook open and all the loose pages flew across the room.
‘loose ends’ - Don’t wear clothing with loose ends (i.e.: loose sleeves) - these can get caught in the factory machines.
‘break loose’ - The dog saw a squirrel and broke loose from the leash.
The ‘s’ in ‘loose’ sounds as ‘s’. It rhymes with ‘goose’ and ‘juice’.
POSTED BY Olga Galperin AT 12:15 AM
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
- From textbooks and novels to flyers and subtitles, and from newspapers to billboards to reading online - we’ve encouraged our students to read in a variety of formats.
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- Is reading digitally better than the old-fashioned way? Which type of reading experience do I/my students prefer? How important is the physical nature of the book: the touch, the smell? Do students and teachers fear adopting the digital format? Are we challenged by the new ebook technology? Could eReaders be the next step (an option at all) in ESL classes?
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- I finally had a chance to get my hands on an eReader. I’m now a happy owner of the Kobo eReader and just can’t stop reading.
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- While my personal benefits to owning this particular one are obvious, I think the future ESL schools can greatly benefit from it too. Its best feature is that it comes with a hundred pre-loaded free books (public domain titles, mostly classics). Wouldn’t it be great to have this e-reader available in class for at least every pair of students and read anything from Grimms’ Tales to Mark Twain (no other reader as far as I know offers that option) with everyone literally on the same page (no different hard copy editions)? What a great way to engage students in reading on Friday afternoons, pre-holiday classes (or when other technologies don't cooperate) and not only.
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- Its other amazing feature is that it can be used to download the ebooks from public libraries. Look for EPUB or ADOBE format ebooks available at Toronto Public Library. No need to buy or head to the library!
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- Lastly, it’s a much greener alternative to the monstrous photocopier needs of our classes. Generations of newcomers in our adult ESL schools can benefit from the device.
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- Other features of Kobo eReader:
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- - lightweight - around 220 grams (carrying 20 picture dictionaries back to the closet downstairs, anyone?), it's great for storage
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- - a big reading screen with adjustable fonts
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- - a large navigator button (find the next/previous chapter, table of contents)
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- - 1GB memory (loads up to 1000 books)
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- - long battery life (up to 2 weeks or 8 000 page turns)
- bookmarks and turns off automatically (can go back to reading right were it was left off)
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- - latest items available (bestsellers, award-winners)
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- - affordable (both the reader and e-books), at around $149 it’s a good investment for those serious about learning English
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- Bottom line: it’s very convenient and definitely lives up to its logo ‘reading anytime anyplace’.
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- While a traditional book could be a better choice in some cases, I’m wholeheartedly embracing the new way too. As for my class, we’ll see what future holds. Meanwhile we can have a discussion on the topic and start warming up to the idea.
POSTED BY Olga Galperin AT 9:38 PM
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Vocabulary Learning Tips for ESL students
Words are the first priority in learning a second language. Make a grammar mistake – people may still understand you, choose a wrong word...
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Sound Natural 
Words, quite literally say it all.
They are the core elements of any language – the basic units of conversation, communication and connection with others.
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