English For Students

What is Debating? A debate is a structured argument.  Two sides speak alternately for and against a particular contention usually based on a topical issue.  Unlike the arguments you might have with your family or friends however, each person is allocated a time they are allowed to speak for and any interjections are carefully controlled.  The subject of the dispute is often prearranged so you may find yourself having to support opinions with which you do not normally agree.  You also have to argue as part of a team, being careful not to contradict what others on your side have said. Why debate? It is an excellent way of improving speaking skills and is particularly helpful in providing experience in developing a convincing argument. Those of you who are forced to argue against your natural point of view realize that arguments, like coins, always have at least two sides. The Basic Debating Skills Style Style is the manner in which you communicate...

Seven Strategies to Teach Students Text Comprehension By: C.R. Adler Comprehension strategies are conscious plans — sets of steps that good readers use to make sense of text. Comprehension strategy instruction helps students become purposeful, active readers who are in control of their own reading comprehension. The seven strategies here appear to have a firm scientific basis for improving text comprehension Students who are good at monitoring their comprehension know when they understand what they read and when they do not. They have strategies to "fix" problems in their understanding as the problems arise. Research shows that instruction, even in the early grades, can help students become better at monitoring their comprehension. 1. Monitoring comprehension Comprehension monitoring instruction teaches students to: Be aware of what they do understand Identify what they do not understand Use appropriate strategies to resolve problems in comprehension 2. Me...

Grammar is central to the teaching and learning of languages. It is also one of the more difficult aspects of language to teach well. Many people, including language teachers, hear the word "grammar" and think of a fixed set of word forms and rules of usage. They associate "good" grammar with the prestige forms of the language, such as those used in writing and in formal oral presentations, and "bad" or "no" grammar with the language used in everyday conversation or used by speakers of nonprestige forms. Language teachers who adopt this definition focus on grammar as a set of forms and rules. They teach grammar by explaining the forms and rules and then drilling students on them. This results in bored, disaffected students who can produce correct forms on exercises and tests, but consistently make errors when they try to use the language in context. Other language teachers, influenced by recent theoretical work on the difference between...

TOEFL Purpose of the TOEFL Test The purpose of the TOEFL test is to evaluate the English proficiency of people who are non-native English speakers. In addition, international companies, government agencies, scholarship programs, and recruitment agencies use TOEFL scores to evaluate English proficiency. CBT: The TOEFL test on computer combines many of the same question types as the traditional paper-based test with new question types that can be offered only in the computer format. This is an easy-to-use testing system for even the most basic computer users. The Computer-Based TOEFL Test has 4 sections Section 1: Listening Section 2: Structure (Grammar) Section 3: Reading Section 4: Writing 1. Listening Comprehension: Measures the ESL student’s ability to understand North American English. 2. Structure & Written Expression Measures the ESL student’s ability to recognize language appropriate for standard written English. 3. Vocabulary & Read...

The Benefits of learning Literature to Linguistics Importance Learning literature has some3 benefits to the language. One of the benefits itself is for linguistics. It is going to be explained about the benefits of learning literature to the linguistics importance. Briefly, we have already understood kinds of literary works that show how the language is fully and skillfully used. Meanwhile, how the language is used is based on the patterns. A search for patterns in the way how the language is used is involved in linguistic study. Knowing this, we truly understand that learning literature has beneficial effect to linguistic importance. 1.       What does linguistics importance mean?  Previously, we have to know what is meant by linguistic importance. Linguistics is a scientific study of language and it has both importance and scope in understanding various components of the language, its origin, structure, vocalization, meaning in relation to the o...