A lot of students are having their oral examinations this week and are terrified because of the new oral format. In the previous oral examinations (that has been almost unchanged since my days!), students have to describe a picture and then would be asked to discuss a topic. It is a bit more of a[…]
Children, especially the Primary 1 and 2 kids, are very creative and may not have organised thoughts. A parent recently asked me how she can help her son because he tends to write whatever is in his mind for his composition and the story may go out of point. Our P1 and P2 students write[…]
Have you ever wondered this- why are we IN a car but ON a bus?To help you remember this in a more logical manner, try this: -We usually step up the bus, so we are ON it, right? -We don’t step up a car or a taxi, we get into them. So we are IN[…]
This poor dude lost $1 million at a Wheel of Fortune game because he mispronounced “achilles”. We pronounce it as ER-KEE-LEES \ə-ˈki-lēz\ http://laist.com/2014/04/12/video_student_mispronounces_achille.php
A parent recently enquired about my Primary 1-2 English classes. As some of you may know, I have outdoor lessons for the kids to get them interested in the language. When we are in the classroom, I will like to brag that the syllabus are just as exciting. Here’s my reply to the mother. My class[…]
With the missing Malaysian flight in the news for the past week, we often come across the word “debris.”How do you pronounce it? 1) Dey-bree 2) Dey-bris 3) Other pronunciation What’s your answer? ANSWER: You can pronounce it as 1) Dey-bree (like how you would read Debra)2) Duh-breeRemember the S is silent for this word.
There’s a Chinese tradition which requires us to clear all our debt before the Lunar New Year. How do you pronounce “debt”? a) deBt (pronouncing the B) b) Det (silent B) ___ (B) Det is the answer!The word was usually spelt “det” or “dette” in Middle English from the Old French “dette”. Originally it came[…]
Quiz: How do you pronounce “often”? a. with the “t” b. without the “t” c. all of the above Solution: The answer is (c) all of the above. “Often” can be pronounced with and without the “t”.Interesting things to note:1. The pronunciation with “t” is a reversion to the 15th century pronunciation2. Most British and American[…]
How do you pronounce vehicle? a) vee-hikl b) VEE-IKL The answer is (B) vee-ikl. Although there’s an H in vehicle, we do not pronounce it.
A lot of Singaporeans pronounce “colleague” as ke-league. This is inaccurate. Read it as “call-league” /ˈkälˌēg/