Ten Reasons to Learn English

This is from Kenneth Beare, ESL Editor with About.com and could be useful with your students who seem reluctant to learn English... 

Here are ten reasons to learn English - or any language really. I've chosen these ten reasons as they express a wide range of not only learning goals, but also personal goals.

1. Learning English is fun. 
I should rephrase this: learning English can be fun. For many students, it isn't much fun. However, I think that's just a problem of how you learn English. Take time to have fun learning English by listening to music, watching a movie, challenging yourself to games in English. There are so many opportunities to learn English while having fun. There's no excuse not to enjoy yourself, even if you have to learn grammar.

2. English will help you succeed in your career.
This is obvious to anyone who lives in our modern world. Employers want employees who speak English. This might not be fair, but it is the reality. Learning English to take a test such as the IELTS or TOEIC will give you a qualification that others might not have, and that might help you get the job you need.

3. English opens up international communications.
You are on the internet learning English right now. I am in the United States writing articles about learning English. We are probably living in two different places, and we have been brought up in different cultures. We all know the world needs more love and understanding. What better way to improve the world than to communicate in English (or other languages) with those from other cultures?!

4. Learning English will help open your mind.
I believe that we are all brought up to see the world in one way. That's a good thing, but at a certain point we need to expand our horizons. Learning English will help you understand the world through a different language. Understanding the world through a different language will also help you view the world through a different perspective. In other words, learning English helps to open your mind.

5. Learning English will you help your family.
Being able to communicate in English can help you reach out and discover new information. This new information could help save the life of someone in your family. Well, it certainly can help you help the other people in your family who don't speak English. Just imagine yourself on a trip and you are responsible for communicating with others in English. Your family will be very proud!

6. Learning English will keep Alzheimer's away.
Scientific research says that using your mind to learn something helps keep your memory intact. Alzheimer's - and other diseases dealing with brain functions - isn't nearly as powerful if you've kept your brain flexible by learning English.

7. English will help you understand those crazy Americans and Brits.
Yes, American and British cultures are rather strange at times. Speaking English will certainly give you insight into why these cultures are so crazy! Just think, you will understand English cultures, but they probably won't understand yours because they don't speak the language. That's a real advantage in so many ways.

8. Learning English will help you improve your sense of time.
English is obsessed with verb tenses. In fact, there are twelve tenses in English. I've noticed that this is not the case in many other languages. You can be sure that by learning English you will gain a keen sense of when something happens due to the English language's use of time expressions.

9. Learning English will allow you to communicate in any situation.
Chances are that someone will speak English no matter where you are. Just imagine you are on a deserted island with people from all over the world. Which language will you speak? Probably English!

10. English is the world language.
OK, OK, this is an obvious point I've already made. More people speak Chinese, more nations have Spanish as their mother tongue, but, realistically. English is the language of choice throughout the world today.

Source: About.com
http://esl.about.com/od/intermediateenglish/fl/Ten-Reasons-to-Learn-English.htm?nl=1

New Overseas Teaching Jobs

Well, we are into August. Overseas schools that follow the September - June school year as we do here in North America will be starting back next month so they are heavy into recruiting to fill gaps. But, if you are not quite ready, don't despair! Once the school year begins, some new teachers find that teaching, or the school, or whatever is not for them and the quit... leaving the school with a gap to fill somewhere during a term. Send out your resume (Curriculum Vitae sounds better) and follow up with any schools that particularly interest you.

For a listing of new overseas teaching positions as of today go to:

http://www.teachesl.org/jobs.shtml

Where would you like to teach? Does a particular country interest you? Go for it! Send out your resume (CV). Include a picture and a covering letter indicating why you want to teach at that school. When I was hiring in a school in Thailand, I'd receive many resumes (CVs) with no covering letter. These people were blanketing all schools with their info and hoping someone would select them. I always preferred to see a covering letter. It became more personal - showed more interest in my school.

Here in Canada job applicants are not supposed to include a picture or state their age. However, that does not apply overseas. School recruiters are unlikely to bother checking with you if you don't include these because they probably have 20-50 other resumes (CVs) to consider. 

Be sure you have a TESOL certificate or equivalent because this will open many more doors and move your letter to the top of the pile. Don't have your TESOL? Get it here in 4-6 weeks...just in time for the start of the school year!

Possessive of Proper Names Ending in S

The questions on the use of the apostrophe to form the possessive keep coming. This post is about how to form the possessive of a proper name that ends in -s. 

Most stylebooks agree that the rule for forming the possessive of a singular noun ending in -s is formed by adding ’s:

the boss’s birthday
the bus’s wheels
the witness’s testimony

When it comes to forming the possessive of a proper name that ends in s, guides disagree. 

Some stylebooks recommend a single apostrophe for Biblical or classical names like Jesus and Achilles, but ’s for names like James and Charles; others say, “Treat all names ending in s the same.”
The Chicago Manual of Style once recommended a single apostrophe to form the possessive of Biblical or classical names:

Moses’ tent
Achilles’ helmet
Jesus’ name

Some guides still recommend this usage, but CMOS has changed its policy in a spirit of consistency; now it recommends that all proper names ending in -s form their possessive by adding ’s:

Moses’s tent
Achilles’s helmet
Jesus’s name
Travis’s friends
Dickens’s novels
Descartes’s philosophy
François’s efforts
Tacitus’s Histories
Kansas’s legislature
Euripides’s tragedies
the Ganges’s source

Equally consistent, the Associated Press Style Book opts for a single apostrophe for all proper names ending in -s:

Moses’ tent
Achilles’ helmet
Jesus’ name
Travis’ friends
Dickens’ novels
Descartes’ philosophy
François’ efforts
Tacitus’ Histories
Kansas’ legislature
Euripides’ tragedies
the Ganges’ source

The New York Times style manual generally agrees with CMOS, but adds this wrinkle:

Omit the s after the apostrophe when a word ends in two sibilant sounds…separated only by a vowel sound: Kansas’ Governor; Texas’ population; Moses’ behalf… But when a name ends with a sibilant letter that is silent, keep the possessive s: Arkansas’s…

Disagreement on the issue of apostrophe s vs. plain apostrophe goes all the way to the Supreme Court. Justice Clarence Thomas believes that the possessive form of a name like his should be formed by adding only an apostrophe: “Justice Thomas’ opinion.” Referring to the case Kansas v. Marsh (2006), Thomas wrote “Kansas’ statute,” but his colleague Justice Souter wrote “Kansas’s statute.”

If you write for publication, how you treat the possessive of proper names that end in -s will be determined by your employer’s house style.
If you are free to choose which style to follow, keep in mind that the writer’s goal is to convey thoughts as clearly as possible to readers. Style guides exist to assist writers in this goal, but it seems to me that there are problems with the recommendations of all three guides mentioned above.
I prefer the guidelines given in the Penguin Guide to Punctuation:

A name ending in s takes only an apostrophe if the possessive form is not pronounced with an extra s. Hence: Socrates’ philosophy, Ulysses’ companions, Saint Saens’ music, Aristophanes’ plays.

The reasoning behind this rule is that as we don’t say [sok-ru-teez-iz], there’s no reason to write “Socrates’s.” 

Punctuation is supposed to aid readers, not puzzle them. It’s no help to readers unfamiliar with English pronunciation to mislead them into trying to say [dick-inz-iz], or [u-rip-uh-deez-iz] by writing “Dickens’s novels” or “Euripides’s plays.” 

The bottom line is that stylebooks do not agree on whether to write “Jesus’ name” or “Jesus’s name,” “Travis’ friend” or “Travis’s friend.” Writers not bound by a specific style manual must make their own decision and be consistent with it. Personally, I’d write “Jesus’ name” and “Travis’s friend” because I would say “[jee-zus] name” and “[trav-is-iz] friend.”

Source: Daily Writing Tips

So there you have it...they agree to disagree. Oh well!