Words Derived from Pend

Pend, stemming from the Latin verb pendere, meaning “hang,” is used exclusively in legal terminology, as a verb meaning “be awaiting,” but it appears as the root of many other words referring to hanging or weight, which are listed and defined in this post.

Something that is pending is waiting to be resolved. A pendant is a fixture or ornament that hangs; the word can also refer to a certain type of rope used in sailing, is a British English variant of pennant (a small, tapering flag), and may also refer to something complementary or supplementary, such as a companion volume to a book. A compendium (“weigh together”), meanwhile, is a collection; it is frequently used in a literary sense.

To append (“weigh out”) is to attach something, and something attached to something else, such as a limb, is often referred to as an appendage. Supplemental content attached to the end of a book is called an appendix, and a vestigial organ of the body is so named because it hangs from the large intestine. (Its full name is vermiform appendix; the first word means “wormlike”).

To depend (“hang from”) on someone or something is to rely on him, her, or it; the adjectival form is dependable, dependent is both an adjective and a noun, and dependence is the noun form. (Antonyms referring to freedom from reliance are independent and independence, while codependent, codependence, and codependency refer to control or manipulation of one person by another.)

To prepend (“weigh before”) is to consider. To expend (“weigh out”) is to pay; the adjectival form is expendable (though it can also be used as noun). Something impending (“hanging over”) is about to occur; the basic verb form is rare. A stipend (“weigh payment”) is money given as pay for short-term work, generally a modest amount not equivalent to a salary.

To suspend (“hang up”) is to hang something or cause someone to wait for something; the feeling that results is suspense, and the act is called suspension.

A pendulum is a weight that swings to and fro to regulate movement; it may also refer figuratively to movement from one position to its opposite. Something that swings heavily can be described as pendulous. Perpendicular (“hanging thoroughly”) means “projecting at right angles”); it is sometimes employed as a synonym for precipitous and may refers to individuals of distinctive types. 

(Perpendiculum is the Latin term for a plumb line, a weighted cord that in conjunction with gravity is used to ensure that an upright structural element is straight.)  

Pendentive is an architectural term for a structural element that helps support a dome.

Source: Words Derived from “Pend” - DailyWritingTips

Sunbridge Institute of English offers TESOL, TEFL, TEFLA and TEYL Certificate Courses as well as a Diploma Course to help ESL teachers broaden their scope in the field of second language teaching. We have been training teachers since 1998. http://www.teachesl.org

Telephone English - Tips for Getting People to Slow Down!!

By Kenneth Beare

Have you ever had problems understanding native English speakers on the telephone? If so, you are not alone. All English learners have difficulties understanding people on the telephone. This is for a number of reasons:

• People speak too quickly
• People don't pronounce the words well
• There are technical problems with the telephones
• You can't see the person you are speaking with
• It's difficult getting people to repeat information

This article focuses on the first and last problems listed above. Follow these tips to help you get native speakers of English to slow down!

• Immediately ask the person to speak slowly.
• When taking note of a name or important information, repeat each piece of information as the person speaks.

This is an especially effective tool. By repeating each important piece of information or each number or letter as they spell a word or give you a telephone number you automatically slow the speaker down.

• Do not say you have understood if you have not. Ask the person to repeat until you have understood.

Remember that the other person needs to make himself/herself understood and it is in his/her interest to make sure that you have understood. If you ask a person to explain more than twice they will usually slow down.

• If the person does not slow down begin speaking your own language!

A sentence or two of another language spoken quickly will remind the person that they are fortunate because THEY do not need to speak a different language to communicate. Used carefully, this exercise in humbling the other speaker can be very effective. Just be sure to use it with colleagues and not with a boss :-)!

http://esl.about.com/od/businessspeakingskills

Idioms by Kids

Idioms By Kids is a great fun site  for ESL teachers. Pick an idiom and have your class draw a picture to illustrate it. You will get some funny pictures...a lot of laughter...and much better understanding of the meaning of these idioms through visual learning.

This site has over 1000 pictures of Idioms. They do not illustrate what an idiom means, but show the literal meaning. These pictures were drawn by children and the results are often funny. 

You can read about them in stories or see their meanings by clicking on the idiom name.

www.idiomsbykids.com

Idioms and Expressions with 'Run'

By Kenneth Beare

The following idioms and expressions use the verb 'run'. Each idiom or expression has a definition and two example sentences to help understanding of these common idiomatic expressions with 'run'. 

Note: If you see ‘ED:’ below it is an addition by the editor (Bob Taylor) and will represent either another meaning of the expression or…it might be another expression entirely.

dry run

(noun) a trial of something, a rehearsal of something before it happens
I think we should make a few dry runs before we give the presentation.
Let's do just one more dry run before we give it a try!

in the long run

(prepositional phrase) eventually, over time
Many people find that they actually do want to have children in the long run.
In the long run, we'll be able to win the contract and keep his business.

make a run for it

(verb phrase) to run as quickly as you can through the rain or other bad weather, to try to escape
It's pouring done rain. Let's make a run for it and get to the car.
The thieves made a run for it, but the policemen were able to catch up and arrest them.

make someone's blood run cold

(verb phrase) to frighten someone so badly they feel a chill of anticipation of the worst
Seeing her makes my blood run cold. I wish she would leave.
His blood will run cold if he hears that story.

get off to a running start

(verb phrase) to start a project or event quickly and efficiently
If we do our research, we'll get off to a running start.
I think this semester has gotten off to a running start. 

run around in circles

(verb phrase) waste time, not progress in what you want to do
It feels like we're just running around in circles.
It took a few days of running around in circles before I took care of everything.

run a fever

(verb phrase) have a temperature that is very high
We should go to the emergency room as she's running a fever.
I think I might be running a fever. Could you get a thermometer?

run a tight ship

(verb phrase) manager very well and efficiently with everyone knowing their place
I like to run a tight ship, so get ready to work!
She runs a tight ship over at Buy More Stuff Inc. 

run a temperature

(verb phrase) have a slightly elevated temperature, not as severe as run a fever
The baby is running a temperature. 
Use this thermometer to check if you're running a temperature. 

run around like a chicken with its head cut off

(verb phrase - idiomatic) go crazy, act without any sense
Stop running around like a chicken with its head cut off and tell me what happened!
She ran around like a chicken with its head cut off when she heard the bad news. 

run for it

(verb phrase) try to escape
Run for it! The cops are coming!
He decided to make a run for it and sprinted to his car.

run in the family

(verb phrase) be a characteristic that is common in one's family
Musical talent runs in my family.
I think his ability with children runs in the family. 

run into a stone wall

(verb phrase) not be able to progress through a situation
We ran into a stone wall when we tried to get a building permit. 
Don't ask for a raise now. You'll run into a stone wall. 

run out of gas

(verb phrase) not have any more gas in your car
We're going to run out of gas soon. We'd better stop.
He ran out of gas and had to walk three miles to the closest gas station. 
Ed: It can also mean to get very tired.

run someone ragged

(verb phrase) make someone very tired because you push them to do too many things
Her son run her ragged when he was over the holidays.
She says her boss runs everyone ragged at her place of employment.

run something up

(verb phrase) to charge something, to make a bill
Peter ran his clothes up on his Visa card.
He's run up quite the bill at the local tavern. 

still waters run deep

(idiomatic phrase) people who are calm are very wise
Just listen to him for a while. Still waters run deep.
 
Remember still waters run deep. It might take some time to figure out. 

Ed: Run amok is an expression meaning to go crazy as in ‘The prisoners are running amok’.

Ed: Run down has a couple of meanings: 1)  to catch an escaped prisoner or criminal. “The police finally ran the suspect down behind the bank.”
And 3) to be very tired. “Bill is looking really run down. I wonder if he had problems we don’t know about?” 
 
Ed: Run Over 1) to run over something with your car or bike, ”I accidentally ran over the neighbour’s cat when it dashed out in front of my car.”


2) To check as in"Can we run over the procedure again? I am still not clear on a couple points."

Ed: Run out 1) to be missing something you need (as in for cooking). Here it can be used two ways. 1) "We have run out of sugar" and 2) "Could you run out and get some sugar?"

Source: http://esl.about.com/od/vocabularyreference/a/game_expresions.htm?utm_campaign=list_esl&utm_content=20161206&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exp_nl&utm_term=list_esl

Teaching to the Test in ESLClass

Here is an excellent article from Ken Beare atAbout.com:

Teaching to the Test in ESL Class

By Kenneth Beare

Updated November 29, 2016. 

There are many issues surrounding the idea of teaching to the test. On the one hand, many feel that teaching makes it more difficult to test student's knowledge because the focus is on the particular test at hand, not on holistic learning. Once learned, students can discard test-based knowledge and then begin to study for the next test. Obviously, this approach doesn't encourage language recycling, which is essential to acquisition. On the other hand, students who are thrown into a test without knowing 'exactly' what's on the test might not know what to study. This presents a conundrum for many teachers: Do I pragmatically meet objectives or do I allow organic learning to take place? 
For the English teacher, luckily, exam results won't lead to success or failure in life as is the case with the SAT, GSAT or other big examinations. For the most part, we can concentrate on producing and measuring the relative success or failure of each student.

For example, I find giving students grades based on project work to be a highly accurate means of testing. 

Unfortunately, many modern students have become accustomed to a test-based mode of study. In some cases, students expect us to give them clearly-defined tests. This is especially true when teaching grammar classes. 

However, at times, students don't do very well on these tests. This in part is due to the fact that students are often not familiar with the importance of directions. Students are already nervous about their English and jump right into an exercise without clearly following the directions. Of course, understanding directions in English is part of the language acquisition process. However, it sometimes gets in the way. 

For this reason, when giving any kind of standard assessment test, I like to "teach to the test" by providing a quick mock test in a review session leading up to a test. Especially at ​lower levels, this type of review will help students focus on their true abilities because they'll understand what's expected of them. 

Example Review Quiz to Help Teach to the Test

Here is an example review quiz I provided before a big grammar final. The test focuses on the present perfect, as well as difference in usage between past simple and the present perfect. You'll find notes and tips listed below the example quiz. 

Part 1 – Circle the correct helping verb.
1.    Have / has he had lunch yet?
2.    Have / has they played soccer today?
3.    Have / has you eaten sushi?
Part 2 – Fill in the blank with the PRESENT PERFECT verb.
1.    Fred (play / +) __________________ tennis many times.
2.    She (have / -) __________________ breakfast this morning.
3.    Peter and I (eat / +) _______________ fish this week. 
Part 3 – Make a present perfect QUESTION with this answer.
1. Q ______________________________________________
A: No, I haven’t seen Tom today.
2. Q _______________________________________________
A: Yes, they have flown to Chicago.
3. Q ________________________________________________
A: Yes, she’s worked for Google. 

Part 4 – Write the correct V3 (past participle) in the blank.
played        quit        driven        bought
1.    I haven’t ___________ a Lamborghini in my life.
2.    She has _________ smoking cigarettes to be healthier.
3.    They’ve ____________ soccer two times this week.
4.    I have _______________ three books today. 
Part 5 – Verb forms: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb. 
Verb 1    Verb 2    Verb 3
make      
    sang  
        Forgotten 

Part 6 – Write ‘for’ or ‘since’ to complete the sentences. 
1.    I have lived in Portland _____ twenty years.
2.    She’s studied piano _________ 2004.
3.    They’ve cooked Italian food _______ they were teenagers.
4.    My friends have worked in that company _________ a long, long time.
Part 7 – Answer each question with a complete sentence.

1. How long have you spoken English?
A: _______________________ for _________.

2. How long have you played soccer?
A: _______________________ since ___________.

3. How long have you known him?
A: ____________________________ for ___________. 
Part 8 – Write the correct form of the verb. Choose simple past or present perfect. 
1.    She ___________(go) to New York three years ago.
2.    I __________________ (smoke) cigarettes for ten years.
3.    He _______________ (enjoy / -) the movie yesterday.
4.    _________ you __________ (eat) sushi before? 
Part 9. Circle the correct answer.
1. Fred _________ cake yesterday afternoon.

a. has eaten
b. eated
c. ate
d. was ate
2. I __________ at PELA for two months.

a. study
b. am studying
c. have study
d. have studied 
Part 10 – Fill in the blanks in these conversations. Use present perfect or simple past. 
Peter: Have you ever ________ (buy) a car?
Susan: Yes, I have.
Peter: Cool! What car ___________ you _________ (buy)
Susan: I _________ (buy) a Mercedes last year. 

Teaching to the Test Tips

• Project each section onto a whiteboard to make sure that each student actually sees what's expected.
• Ask students to come up and complete individual sections of the quiz. Have other students state whether they have completed the exercise correctly or not. 
• On the whiteboard, circle keywords in directions to make sure that students take notice of specific instructions.
• For the first question in each exercise, ask a student to complete the question on the whiteboard. Ask the student to explain why they answered in that manner. 
• Pay special attention to time expressions. Students tend to forget how important these are. For example, in exercise six students need to decide whether 'for' or 'since' should be used. Ask each student why they chose 'for' or 'since'. 
• On multiple choice questions, ask students why each incorrect answer is incorrect. 
• Don't worry about making a review quiz the same length as the actual test. Keep it short as the focus is on understanding 'how' to take the test. 

Source: http://esl.about.com/od/grammarlesso2/fl/Teaching-to-the-Test-in-ESL-Class.htm?