Eye On English

Soft Talk

2012-02-13T08:29:00.000-08:00

I live in California.

I was born and raised here. So was my father.

I grew up in Southern California. When I was eighteen, I moved up to the San Francisco Bay Area. And aside from a few years in Florida and Louisiana, here I still am.

Other folks in my family came from other parts of the U.S. but all of them have lived all over California. Not just by the coast but in the mountains, deserts, farmlands and small towns of California. California is not just the coast.

(Hey! What's with this "folks" thing? Folks means people. Folks is a country or Southern way of talking about your people, your family. My family - my grandparents, my great-grandparents, and everyone before them - are from the country and many of them are from the South.)

In California, we speak "soft talk."

What is soft talk?

Soft talk means we don't like to tell you "no" directly.

Other parts of the U.S. are good for that. If you go to New York, people will tell you "no." They do not mean this in a bad way. They mean it in a clear way.

But we don't do that here in California.

We like to have and keep good feeling between people. We want you to like us.

This is stronger in Southern California. A little weaker in Northern California.

(By the way, there are lot of New Yorkers in Northern California. Many of them moved to the San Francisco Bay Area for jobs and schools. They like California culture and are drawn to it. They didn't have to come to California. But of course, like everyone, they brought some of their own culture with them. They move and talk faster than native Californians. And they say "no" more quickly and more directly and more easily.)

If you come from a culture that does not like to say "no" directly, you will understand California culture and soft talk and maybe you will not even think about this. You will just jump in and swim in the culture like a fish. Maybe you need the right English words for the indirect "no" but you understand the idea. No problem.

If you come from a culture that says "no" easily and directly, you might feel confused by the soft talk in California. Do they want something or not? Do you have a chance at the job or not? Do they want to be friends or not? And when they ask you something and you don't want it, you say "no." Easy peazy. Just like that. And just like that, without meaning to, you might offend a Californian.

Of course, if you offend a Californian, they will not tell you directly. But inside, they might have some bad feeling for you. They might not want to give you the job or the apartment or invite you to dinner. But they will never tell you this directly.

So how do Californians say "no" if they don't want to say it directly?

They might:

- talk a long time. They will probably talk in a confusing way. It feel like you are going in a circle and in the end you do not know if the answer is yes or no. I can tell you. The answer is no.

- tell you they will get back to you. And maybe they will. First, of course, they need to check their calendar or think about it or call a friendirst or check something on the Internet or... And then they will say "yes." Maybe. Or maybe you will never hear from them again. Or when you do, they will talk about something else. They will never mention the question you asked or the answer they never gave you. This means "No." "No, I don't want to do that. But I don't want to tell you "no" directly."

- say, "That's okay."

Be careful of "okay" in California!

Okay does not always mean yes!

If a Californian says, "that's okay" and kind of shakes their head back and forth, in a "no" kind of shake... that means, "No, that's very nice of you to offer but no, I don't want that."

If a Californian says, "Okay" and nods their head up and down, it means "yes," but it is not an enthusiastic yes. It is more like a "okay... I accept this... but I'm not crazy about."

And if a Californian has anger in their face and their eyes squinch up and they look at you say, "Okay!" it means they are really mad and you need to stop it right now. California teachers do this. They look at the kids and say, "Okay, class... " The kids need to watch out! Teacher is angry!

If you think "okay" is confusing, don't use it!

Say "yes" or "no."

And if you are confused by a California "okay," then say to that person, "I'm not sure what you mean... Yes, you can?... or no, you can't... ?"

It is better to say "can" or "can't" than "will" or "won't" because Californians like to have and give the feeling that they can do anything always want to keep you and everyone happy. They will make you happy, if they can, right?

So if they are not making you happy, they want the feeling to be...

"I will make you happy if I can. I will always do that. I love good feeling. Let's play California beach music and sit by the water and have a cool drink together if we are in Southern California and if we are in the Bay Area, let's sit in a nice little cafe and have a latte together. But maybe, for some reason, I can't help you right now. But you know I would if I could. Because I love being happy. And I love you being happy. And I love when we are happy together."

Kind of like this:

You understand that means "no," right?

Yeah... it's confusing.

I know.

Don't worry.

We'll talk about it more.

For now, just remember:

California culture wants everyone to be happy together.

Or they want you to think that! ;-)

Because of course, not everyone is happy together.

But we like that idea.

Cultures are partly about ideas.

And here's another one:

California is all about feeling good until

BLAM!

Earthquakes, mudslides and fires change everything because California is also about change, especially strong, unexpected change.

Yeah... I know... confusing!!!

That's okay.

(That means... it feels bad but we have to accept it so please try to accept it with me and please try to feel good. I want you to feel good. I want us to be happy together.)

Because... all this means... as every Californian knows:

Everything's gonna be all right.

POP!

2012-02-03T20:13:00.000-08:00

That's my new word for the new year.

I know. It's not so new anymore.

That's okay.

It has been my word for three weeks. I just haven't written about it until now.

So what's pop about?

Well, first, pop is an acronym.

What's an acronym?

An acronym is when you pronounce the initials (the first letters of each word) altogether like they are one word or you say them all in row, all together, just the letters.

Examples:

AIDS: Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

FYI: for your information

OT: over time

HR: human resources

UFO: unidentified flying object

We always say that acronyms "stand for" something.

What does "stand for" mean?

It means they take the place of something else. They stand there in the same place as the thing they represent. They represent!

One more thing: whenever you see "nym" remember that it means word or name. So you know an acronym 0r a pseudonym or an antonym or a synonym is going to have something to do with name or word. It is will be about what we call something.

So what does POP stand for?

It stands for the plus one program.

And what's that about?

Well, let's get real.

So far, this year I've written about change.

Making change - the kind you want - it's usually pretty hard, hunh?

Yeah, it is.

Some changes happen big and fast - like earthquakes and tsunamis.

But the ones we want? Losing weight. Better health. Better relationships. Better jobs. Better English.

They take time.

And sometimes it's hard.

Or boring.

Or hard AND boring.

(That's the worst, hunh?!)

So that's why I recommend the plus one program.

Because I know a thing or two about change, myself, and how hard it can be and I'm trying to make a few changes, myself, this year.

So when you're doing something new, something you need to do to make good things happen, something that needs to be done but it's hard or boring or hard AND boring, do what you think you can do -

and then do one more minute or turn or sentence or fold or pushup or kind word or resume or phone call or thank you note or page of the story you reading to your four year old.

Just

one

more.

That's it.

That's the plus one program.

And how and why does that work?

We can't make have something we want without change, right?

Because getting what we want IS change.

And usually those changes are hard, right?

And it's hard to do hard things, right?

So we have to do them little by little.

And what's the amazing thing about human beings?

Well, there are a lot of amazing things. But one of them is: when we do something hard, we get stronger.

Even if we do just a little bit harder, we get stronger.

So we don't have to do EVERYTHING.

We don't have to make the whole change TODAY.

Who wants to?

Who can?

Not me.

We just have to make little changes.

And pretty soon those little changes don't feel like changes. They feel normal.

It feels normal to do twenty one sit-ups instead of twenty.

It feels normal to be patient with our kids or our parents or our husband or wife or neighbor for sixteen minutes instead of fifteen.

It feels normal to study English for eleven minutes instead of ten.

And then we get stronger. And faster. And more patient. And all kinds of good stuff happens.

And then... you know... pretty soon we want MORE changes.

Because that's how humans are.

Most of us, anyway.

What do you think?

Revolution

2012-01-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

Another English word with a lot of meanings.

Revolution - quick, what do you think of?

War?

People dying?

Good things?

Bad things?

I think of that, too.

I also think of a bicycle wheel.

Because that is also what revolution means. Sort of.

"Revolve" means go around in a circle.

(Green means verb, by the way. Green means go. Verbs are about action, doing things, going places. Or not. Stop! ;-)

A revolution is what happens when something goes completely around and makes a full circle.

Like when a bicycle or car wheel goes completely around in a circle.

You move forward, right?

Or maybe... you go back to where you started... because the idiom "full circle" means, in some way, you are back to where you started - the same, but kind of different.

Example:

You are eighteen years old. You are sitting at the kitchen table with your best friend. You are telling your best friend about your hopes and dreams. You want to travel. You want to go places. You want to see things and meet people and do something big.

Your best friend wants to stay home. Your best friend is in love. Your best friend wants to start a family. Buy a house. Make a good life.

You have dreams. Both of you.

Time goes by. You travel. You go places. You meet people. You do some things. Some of them a little big. But while you are doing one of those things, you have an accident. You break many bones. The doctors tell you might not walk the same way. And you need a long rest. You go back home.

Now you are sitting at your kitchen table with your best friend. You are talking about all the things you did. You are talking about what you want to do next. You want to stay home. You want to build a home. You want to make a home.

Your best friend understands. Your best friend's spouse died. Your best friend had an ending. Now your best friend needs a new beginning. Maybe leave. Maybe go somewhere new with no memories. Make new memories in a new place.

You both experienced change. You both want change. But you don't want the same change.

Things have come full circle. You are back where you started. You are sitting at the kitchen table, talking about your dreams, what you want, what you need. Things are the same.

Only different.

That is a revolution.

A change that changes some things but not everything because some things never change - including the fact that everything changes and that people will always feel sad about some changes and happy about others.

In a year, the earth makes a revolution around the sun.

In a year, you can make a revolution in your life.

What will it be?

Resolution

2012-01-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

Resolution.

Another crazy English word.

It means so many things. Maybe too many things.

This time of year we mostly hear it when people talk about "New Year's Resolutions."

People ask you if you've made some and they talk them on talk shows on tv and in magazines.

They are things you want to do, right?

Yes and no.

A resolution is a kind of decision.

If you resolve to do something, you decide to do something. The feeling is that this decision comes from way down deep inside of yourself. It is a deep, strong feeling like an underground river that finally comes rushing to the surface in a gushing spring.

Wow! Change!

A resolution is also a solution to something.

We talk about things coming to resolution. That means they come to an ending... usually an ending that is somewhat final and solves the problem in some way.

Maybe your friend has a problem with a neighbor. The neighbor makes all kinds of trouble for your friend. You ask your friend, "Did you ever get a resolution to that problem with your neighbor?" Your friend smiles. "Sure," your friend answers, "They moved away."

Okay, maybe not the ending you expected or the perfect ending or solution but the problem was resolved, right? No more neighbor troubles! (Unless the new neighbor is worse! ;-)

So thinking about all this, what we can figure out about native English speakers think and feel, deep down inside, when they use the word "resolution"?

A decision coming from deep down inside.
A big problem that finally has a solution or ending.

Can you see the connection?

We have a problem of some kind. A big problem. We have a lot of emotion about the problem. We have some pain. We need a solution.

We have ideas that might solve the problem. We choose an idea.

We have deep feeling about the idea. We have deep desire for a solution.

We make the choice to try to solve the problem.

We hope our deep feeling, our decision, and our ACTIONS will help us find resolution to our problems.

This is what native speakers feel and think when they use the word "resolution."

Maybe not consciously but deep down inside that is what is going on inside the native speaker brain.

How about your brain?

More importantly, how about your heart?

What kinds of problems are causing you pain?

Problems in your body, relationship, house, job, bank account, family? Do you have them?

Most of us do.

What kinds of things might solve those problems?

Notice I didn't ask you what might relieve the pain. TV shows, netflix, drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping - these things will take away your pain. At least for a while. But they won't solve the problem.

What can help solve the problem?

Combining deep feeling, deep desire... with ideas... and the DECISION to take action and solve the problem can help you find real relief, real resolution to some of your problems.

Can Eye On English help you with all that?

Of course not.

Eye On English can help you with the English part. And understanding US culture. And maybe a few other things here and there.

But something can help you, that's for sure.

There's always someone or something that can help you.

You just have to make up your mind about what you need and then look for help and support, keeping an open mind and heart about what shows up.

Resolve to do that.

Today.

Tip #3 - Intention

2009-09-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

What makes all this stuff happen more and faster?

(And what do I mean when I say "all this stuff"?

I mean practicing, noticing, and writing, swimming, leading, loving, or anything else better.)

Intention.

What the heck is intention?

Well, let's start with some other words in its family:

intent

and

intend.

Intent is a noun. It means the desire and purpose to do something.

For example, everyone reading this has an intent to get better at writing in English. Otherwise, why read this, right?

(Okay, don't answer that.)

And what's another example? I bet many people reading this have had an intent to lose weight or get more exercise. Or stay in touch with relatives. Or remember your mother's birthday. Or do better at work. Or make more money. Or win lotto.

Intend is a verb. With this post, I intend to help you with your writing.

Maybe I will do that and maybe I won't, but that is my intention.

Intention is an abstract noun. Other abstract nouns are love and peace. Abstract nouns are things you can't really put in a box. They are idea kind of words. Concrete nouns are things you can touch. Concrete nouns help your readers understand your story, ideas, or information because we use our senses (seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling). Concrete nounds make our writing more vivid.

(What is vivid? Okay, Spanish speakers, what is vivid? Vivir! Vivid means full of life.)

If you want to write about Love and you use the word love a lot, it doesn't really get your reader excited. But now talk about how a baby smells and how you keep burying your nose in their hair to smell that good, warm, smell that there is no English word for. And then talk about how it feels to be wrapped in the arms of your boy or girlfriend, after your cat has just been hit by a car. And then talk about how it feels to see your mom when you haven't seen her for five years and she looks so little now, and her hair is greyer and there are more wrinkles around her eyes. Your reader starts to understand.

Okay, where was I?

Intention!

The difference between just doing something and doing something with intention is like the difference between an old pencil with no eraser and a very worn-down point and a brand new, just sharpened pencil with a lovely pink eraser at its end.

Intention makes everything happen faster.

Okay, so what does this mean to your writing?

Well, hopefully, you're writing more.

If you're not, pretend you are! ;-)))

Seriously, try writing more and see if you start noticing more things.

Okay. Are you doing that now? Great.

Now that you're writing more and noticing more, start doing that with intention.

What does that mean?

It could mean a lot of things because you decide what that intention is pointed at.

It might be: longer sentences.

You start noticing long sentences when you're reading and you start noticing how the writer makes them long. What words does the writer use? Does the writer use connector words? Commas? Semi-colons?

Get out a yellow highlighter and highlight all the long sentences. Look at them. Study at them.

Does that sound hard?

Maybe. A little.

Does spending the rest of your life feeling frustrated because you can't really express yourself well in English sound hard?

Well, it sounds darn hard to me.

How about never getting a better job?

Which means maybe working a job you don't really like - and not making very much money at it, either.

Does that sound hard?

Yeah, I thought so.

I've done just that so I know it is.

Or you could put your intention on adjectives. Highlight all the adjectives.

Do writers just use words like "big" and "little"?

No.

They use words like "butter-yellow" and "wiggly" and "stupefying" and "exorbitant" and because they do, their writing is more interesting, more accurate, and more vivid.

That might sound a little opposite to the advice I'm always giving about how you don't have to use big words to be a good writer. That's true. You don't have to use big words.

But! It doesn't hurt to have a few extra words in your pocket, either.

So try it.

Try practicing.

And then try noticing.

And then try noticing with intention.

And then let me know what you think.

Tip #2 - Noticing

2009-09-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks!

Okay, we talked about practicing.

You remember what that is: doing something over and over till start to go a little crazy.

;-)

(Those of you who have had to practice a musical instrument know what I mean.)

Now let's talk about noticing.

Actually, let's back up a minute and go back to practicing.

What happens when you do something a lot?

Like spending time on the computer.

Or taking care of kids.

Or fixing cars.

Or driving the same freeway or road day after day after day after day after day.

Or being married to the same person year after year after year after year.

Or being related to the same person year after year after year.

(You know, this person was your mother yesterday. She was your mother a year ago. She was your mother ten years ago. She has been your mother all your life!

Or eating the same kind of food week after week after week.

Well, if you're like most people, you start NOTICING things.

If you're driving the same route to work, you start noticing the trouble spots, the lanes to avoid, the potholes to avoid, the places where people make left hand turns right in front of you. And you start noticing the drivers. If you're like me, you get really good at guessing what people are going to do. You can tell that the guy ahead of you over on your right is about to suddenly pull in front of you. You can tell that the woman behind you, the one who is tailgating you, is going to try to pass you as soon as possible.

And if you're taking care of kids, you start noticing things about kids in general and the kids you're watching, in particular. You start noticing that when kids are sick or hungry, they are hard to be around. (So are grown-ups, but we don't always admit it.) You start noticing that when kids jump around, sometime it means they have to go to the bathroom. You start noticing which kids have trouble talking about their feelings and which kids get so lost in their feelings they can't control their sadness or anger.

And if you're married to the same person? Well, those of you who are married probably know a lot about that other person, right? You know how they brush their teeth. You know if they put the cap back on the toothpaste - or not. You know if they hang up their clothes or leave them on the floor when it's time for bed. You know if they like to think about big decisions or make them in a snap. You know how they are when they are angry, excited, peaceful, nervous, sad, loving, and happy. You know them, right?

That's how it is with writing, too. Or maybe I should say: that's how it is with language.

The more you swim around in it, the better you know the pool, the water, the concrete or mud or rocks at the bottom.

And the more you know those things, the better you swim.

And you want to swim better, right?

I mean write!

;-)

Tip #1 - Practicing

2009-09-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

Many people – both native and non-native speakers - are afraid of writing.

I want to talk a minute about how writing something – anything - can you help you with your life and English.

When a person is afraid, they hold back.

And when they hold back, they stop doing one of the two most important things a person can do to get better at something.

"What are those things?" you ask.

I will tell you.

1. Practicing

2. Noticing

I'm going to talk about noticing in another post.

For now I want to talk about practicing.

If you want to dance better, you have to dance, right? You can't lie on the couch and watch "So You Think Can Dance." You can't watch "Flashdance" or music videos on MTV. You have to get up and dance. A lot.

If you want to be a good computer programmer, you can't sit at the computer and play video games. You can't watch Science Fiction movies. You have to learn computer programming languages and then you have to write a lot of computer programs. You spend hours and hours thinking about them, dreaming about them, and writing them.

(I know. I had a boyfriend who did that and then made a zillion dollars. Pretty good, hunh? Can writing do that, too? How about dancing? Hmmm.... )

It's the same with writing. If you want to write better, you have to write. A lot.

If you write but you are afraid to show people your writing, this is okay but not wonderful. Because the fear is in there. The fear is inside your head and your heart and it starts making your writing energy smaller and smaller and smaller.

If you write and you share it with other people, then the writing energy gets bigger and bigger and bigger and the fear starts getting smaller and smaller and smaller.

You start feeling looser and freer with your writing. It starts feeling more like play and less like work. And because you write more you start doing the noticing thing I was talking about.
But I'm not going to talk about that yet. That is for another post.

I'm going to talk about how writing more and being less afraid to share it with other people can help you do better in life - not just the writing part of life.

I'm going to talk about success.

Everyone wants it, right?

What do you have to do to succeed in life?

You have to work hard, yes. And it helps to be lucky. But what's that other thing?

You have to take risks.

You have to try to do something you might fail at.

You have to do things where you might look foolish. People might laugh at you.
People might find out you're not perfect.

(Of course, we all know you're not perfect because we're not perfect, either, but some people try to keep the imperfect thing a big secret. They try, anyway.)

And what else might happen?

You might win an Academy award.

You might win a Nobel prize.

You might become a wonderful mother, or save someone's life, or invent a cure for cancer.

And what helps you take risks?

Understanding nothing happens without risk.

Well, nothing good, anyway.

Stagnation.

(What's stagnation? That's when everything stops moving - like your sink when it doesn't work, anymore. The water gets brown and stinky and you have to call your plumber or your landlord and they bring in a snake - no, not a real snake! - a plumber's snake! - and they stick the snake in the drain and jerk it around and there is a big glugging sound or maybe little gasping noises and then slowly or quickly the water goes down and things start moving again.)

Understanding nobody is perfect.

Understanding life is a spring which wants to spring forth and trying to stop is like trying to jam things down your sink.

Do you want a stinky sink? No!

You want a flowing spring, right?

(Hey! What's a spring, anyway?

It's rushing waters that push up out of the ground - fresh, clean, and pure.

And you want to be like that, right?

Full of energy? Good for yourself? Good for other people?

Happy?

Flowing?

Of course, you do!

We all do, we just get nervous about things.

Why?

Because when the spring is flowing and things are happening we don't always know what is going to happen next.

And what is it the scariest thing in the whole, wide world?

Is it big, hairy spiders?

Is it long, skinny snakes?

Is it a natural disaster like an earthquake, hurricane, or a tsunami?

No, no, no, no, and no!

It's the... drumroll, please... the UNKNOWN!

Yes, we're all afraid of it!

If you say you're not, you're lying!

Okay, so we're all afraid sometimes.

Is it okay to be afraid?

Of course it is. Everyone is afraid. If they say they aren't, they're lying.

Wait, I already said that.

But maybe it's good to say it again.

We're all afraid of something.

We all struggle with fear of the unknown, fear of change (more unknow stuff), fear of losing the people we love (more unknown stuff), etc, etc, etc.

But if we keep the fear smaller than the courage, we're okay.

In other words, keep the water flowing.

Life, love, water, energy - whatever idea or picture or word you want to use, really, it's all the same thing.

Let it through you.

Don't try to stop it.

Don't try to control it.

Oh! Control! Something we all want and love!

Also something isn't really possible. Not really.

Go ahead. Try to control everything. As Dr. Phil would say, let me know how that works out for ya.

When we let things flow, the courage is bigger than the fear.

When you write, especially when you write and share it with other people, you're making the courage bigger and the fear smaller.

That's going to help you not just with your writing but with all the other parts of your life where you hold back.

Maybe you really want to ask your boss for a change in your job.

But you're afraid.

Maybe you really need to talk to your husband or wife or mother about something serious.

But you're afraid.

You hold back. You feel nervous inside. You feel resentful. You start getting mad about little things. Everything is their fault!

But really, where is the problem?

In you.

When you find the courage to go after what you want in life, things get easier.

Not easy.

I didn't say life is easy!

But it is easier to live life with courage than with fear.

Read or say that again because it's easy to read that fast and not believe it.

Okay, I'll help you.

I'm going to write it again:

It's easier to live life with courage than with fear.

Got that?

Fear is like a heavy weight tied to your ankle. You walk with a limp. You breathe hard. You trip and fall and land with a splat and break a tooth off. Sometimes you turn green and your hair falls out. Also you can't think straight.

Courage is like your own special music always playing in your heart. In the tough times, it helps you keep going.

And in the good times, it helps you dance.

Go dance.

(Looking for somewhere to share your writing? Try posting a comment here.
Or send me an email: eyeonenglish@gmail.com)

Perhaps With A Twist

2009-08-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

So I've decided to continue writing here... but perhaps with a twist, yet to be decided.

What does with a twist mean?

It means with a bit of a change, with something different to perk it up.

Sometimes people add a twist of lemon to a drink to make it taste better.

Have you ever had iced tea with a twist? Or a cocktail of some kind?

I'm going to mull about all this next week and then start up end of August.

Mull... mull... what does mull mean?

To think about.

In the winter, at holiday time, people sometimes drink mulled wine.

Mulled wine or cider has been heated up and sweetened with spices.

So I will add heat and sweet to my thoughts and ideas and then present them here soon.

A good thing to do in the summer, no?

Mulled thoughts with a twist. Delightful!

And Now For Something Completely Different

2009-08-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

What?

Yes, exactly!

Okay, wait... what is Cynthia trying to say here?

What is different, exactly?

Yes, what?

Well... in this post I do not plan on trying to explain anything.

I do not plan on trying to teach anything.

I do not plan on talking about anything to do with grammar, English, writing, or US culture.

Okay, maybe something about writing will sneak in but that is because I love writing.

So what am I going to talk about?

I am going to talk about the fact I have not written in here for a while.

And I'm not quite sure about continuing.

Is this blog serving a folks?

Is it helping others?

Is it teaching them something?

Is it helping me to write it?

Is it teaching me something by writing it?

Hmmm... not sure about any of that.

I need to ponder all this.

If the answer is a big YES or even a small yes, then I will continue.

If it is a big NO or even a small no, then I will not.

What about maybe, you ask.

Yes, what about maybe?

Maybe is the answer to many questions in life.

But in this case, I need a yes or a no.

If you have an opinion on this, feel free to let me know.

You can email me at eyeonenglish@gmail.com.

Or you can send me your answer telepathically!

Okay, I will explain that.

What is telepathically?

It means sending something just with brain energy - no words.

If you can't do that, use email.

And take care!

Keeping The Balance

2009-08-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

A while back I wrote about English for conflicts.

I don't believe I ever got around to talking about how to apologize in English.

That is important.

So here we go:

Every culture has its own special way of being polite.

Sometimes it is important to meet the eyes of the other person.

Sometimes it is important to look away.

Sometimes being polite in person is a little different than being polite in writing.

In writing, we must think about what we say because we cannot use our eyes and ears to help us with communication.

We cannot see the other person's face. We don't know if they are insulted, angry, happy, excited, nervous, or afraid. We can't hear them breathe faster or sigh deeply.

Apologizing is important in all relationships - personal, business, friendships, family, etc.

Every culture, family, and person has their own style of apologizing but there are also ways that are "polite" or "rude" for every culture and it is good to know them.

In US culture, if you say "sorry" - with only that one word - the feeling is not good. The feeling is that the person is not really sorry but says so because of some kind of pressure.

You might think of a little boy who has just hit his friend on the head with a toy truck. His mother tells him, "Tell your friend you are sorry!" The little boy gives his friend a very angry look and mutters, "Sorry."

(What does mutter mean? It means to talk in a low tone that other people cannot understand very well.)

A better or more polite way is to say something like:

I'm sorry.

This is okay in person, especially if you say it with feeling and look at the other person in the eyes.

(I know, that can be hard to do! Especially if you are not really sorry or if you are embarassed or nervous.)

In writing, it is so-so. It is not great but it is okay.

Better is:

I'm sorry for blah blah.

It's better to say what you're sorry for - that makes a big difference in this culture.

(Maybe every culture. What do you think? I would really like to know.)

You can always add:

I'm so sorry for blah blah blah.

Now... here is something that is very good in-person or in writing:

I apologize.

For some reason, if we say "I apologize" - just like that - short and clear - the feeling is good. Dignified. Respectful. Responsible.

I don't know why. I don't know the history of every single thing in our culture. I just know what is generally true and I try to share it with you.

After you say or write "I apologize," you can say or write a separate sentence that gives more information. Maybe something like:

I know you really needed that blah blah blah and I promised to lend it to you. And then you called me and asked for it and I never got back to you. I should have returned your phone call. I should have lent you the blah blah. I caused you a lot of inconvenience and it was inconsiderate of me.

You can also add things like:

How can I make it up to you?

(This means: How can I restore the balance? How can I bring good feeling back?)

I want to make it up to you. Let me buy you lunch, a cup of coffee, or blah blah blah.

I promise to do better next time.

Then... unless the person wants to keep talking about it...

which people do sometimes... ;-)))

You can move on.

Otherwise, it is like beating a dead horse.

Do you know that expression?

Do you have an expression that like in your culture?

Can you guess what it means?

Restoring the balance is important.

(What does restore mean? It means to bring something back to the way it was before. After we get through this difficult economic time, we need to restore many things that are being damaged or lost right now. After a fire, we need to restore the place where the fire happened.)

Many people think US culture is not polite or doesn't value relationships.

We could talk a long time about that. I think that subject is very interesting.

For now, I will tell you a secret:

US culture, and every other culture on this planet, values relationships, because US culture and every culture on this planet, is all about human beings and human beings are all about relationships.

We want people to love us, like us, do what we want, give us things, make us happy, laugh with us, pay us money, take us out to lunch, think we are pretty or handsome, say nice things about us, understand us, value us, forgive us, take care of us when we are sick, old, or young, and a whole lot of other things.

Some cultures are very direct about that.

Some are indirect.

But every single person

every single person on this planet

wants that.

I guarantee you.

And here's something else:

Many of them won't tell you how to do that.

They will just expect you to "know."

Which, of course, for most of us, is impossible.

Then, when we don't do things "right," they sometimes get mad at us.

It's frustrating, isn't it?

;-))

You can stop and laugh about that a little bit here... because I think all of us have been in that situation.

So... one of the things I try to do in my teaching is to share the "secrets" of this culture, the one I grew up in.

Americans are like everybody else.

We have our own "ways" of being polite and rude.

We get insulted.

We get happy.

We get excited because somebody did something in a special way that means they understand us.

We all want to be understood.

We all want to feel respected by other people.

We all want to feel equality with others.

Keeping the balance between people, between cultures, between countries -

wow - that's a beautiful thing, isn't it?

I wish we could do that... really do that...

no more wars

no more kids stepping on land mines

no more mothers feeding their kids food but not themselves
because there is not enough food for everyone.

That would be nice.

Here, "nice" is kind of a weak word - not strong at all -
which means I know that it is impossible but I wish it would happen.

We can't restore the balance for the whole world.

But we can work on restoring the balance between ourselves and the other people in our life - our friends, children, parents, partners, co-workers, bosses, employees, neighbors, students, teachers, etc. etc. etc.

Everything begins with us.

Sincerely,

Cynthia

P.S. I would love it if you would share how to be polite in your home culture. Please share the secrets of your home culture in the comments section or by sending me an email at eyeonenglish@gmail.com

English for Haircuts

2009-07-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

A reader writes

Dear,cynthia

I have a quetion about haircut. I just think maybe you could give me some useful sentences or conversations that i can use at the barber shop .so i can tell the hairdresser what i want.
thanks a lot!

Sincerely,
ginnie

English for haircuts - hmmm…. I am a native speaker and I need help with that, too!

My first piece of advice is: Skip the words and bring a picture!

(What does skip mean? Skip means jump over.)

It is always good to bring a picture of what you want when you visit a haircutter.

This look (Farrah - to the right) was very popular when I was in high school.

Hairstyles can be hard to describe in words.

Having said that, here is my advice about English for haircuts:

1. Give the hairstylist a picture. If you can't find a picture, draw a picture.

If you can't draw - okay, wait.

Probably you can find a picture.

2. Give the hairstylist a limit for the cut.

What does this mean?

Show the haircutter the amount he or she can cut and then NO MORE!

This is the number one, problem, right?

The hairstylist cuts too much.

All your friends say, "Don't worry. It will grow."

And then they smile.

And you feel bad.

So tell the stylist, “No more than one inch.”

Or, "No more than two inches."

You can hold up your fingers and show them, “No more than this.”

Or you can bring a ruler.

3. Talk to the stylist about your hair type.

What is hair type?

Some people have straight hair.

Some have natural wave or wavy hair.

Some people have curly hair.

Go to www.google.com/images and type "curly hair."

Then type "straight hair."

Etc.

You will see what these words mean.

Some people have hair that grows in a certain direction –

maybe the hair grows like green grass near the forehead, or straight down like a bowl over the forehead.

My mother's hair grows like a bowl over her head.

My hair grows into little devil horns at the sides of my forehead. Sometimes in the morning, the hair in those places twists up and says, "Good morning!"

My hair does not need coffee like I do.

;-)

Tell your haircutter about your hair.

“My hair is very straight.”

“My hair grows straight down.”

“My hair sticks up in the back.”

“My hair is difficult to style. It is very strong. I cannot push it into a certain style.”

Some people have cowlicks.

What is a cowlick?

A cowlick is a place on your head where the hair grows in a funny way and sort of sticks up.

After a mother cow licks her baby calf, sometimes the hair on the calf looks this way.

This is why we call this kind of hair a cowlick.

Some people have a double crown.

What does that mean?

Will they grow up to be a king and a queen?

No.

The crown is the place on the back of your head where your hair sort of begins.
Some people have two crowns.

A good haircutter will notice this.

4. Do you want a hair style that is easy to take care of?

Tell your haircutter this.

You can say, “I do not have a lot of time. I want a hairstyle that is very easy.”

Do you want to blow dry your hair? Or not?

Tell your haircutter.

Do you want to curl your hair with a curling iron or hot curlers? Or not?

Tell your hairstylist if you want an easy style or a style which needs time and energy.

4. Do you want color? Highlights? Tell your stylist.

5. Do you want to change your hair from curly to straight or straight to curly?

A perm makes straight hair curly.

Straightening makes curly hair straight.

Tell your hair stylist what you want.

In review:

Show your stylist a picture of what you want.

Tell them the limit for the cut.

Tell them about your hair type - straight, curly, double-crown, cowlick.

Tell them how much time you want to spend on your hair - a lot, a little.

Tell them if you want special changes - more curl, less curl, new color.

A hairstylist is not a mind reader.

What does this mean?

He or she cannot see into your mind.

You know what you want.

You have some picture in your mind.

Show the stylist a picture like the picture in your mind.

The hairstylist - probably - does not live with you.

He or she does not see you every day.

Maybe he or she does not know you are very busy.

You do not want a difficult style.

You want an easy style.

You must share the bathroom with twelve people!

You have ten children!

And three dogs!

Tell the stylist what you want.

Tell the stylist about your hair.

Tell the stylist how much energy you have for hair care.

Finally, ask the stylist how to care for your new style.

What should you do?

Blow dry?

Curl with curling iron?

Do you need to wrap it at night before you sleep?

How about a special comb or brush for this style?

Your hair stylist will be happy to tell you.

Maybe he or she can sell you a new comb or brush!

:-)

Hair stylists work hard.

They stand up all day.

They try to guess the pictures in people's minds.

They try to make people look and feel beautiful.

Sometimes they listen to people's problems.

Communicate with your hair stylist.

Thank them.

Tip them.

And remember:

No matter what, yes, your hair will grow.

How Should You Close An Email or Letter?

2009-07-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

A student asked me, "How should I close an email or letter?"

Good question!

First, remember the hidden rule of all cultures:

When in doubt, be polite!

That means: If you don't know the rules, be extra polite.

Because when you don't know the culture, it can be hard to know what people are thinking.

As I have said before, American culture seems very casual. And it some ways it is.

But in many ways it is not.

But wait, how do you know what polite is?

Yes, exactly.

Polite is different in different cultures, right?

Right.

But! One thing is the same in all cultures: The Golden Rule.

What is The Golden Rule?

Treat other people the way you want to be treated.

But wait!

That can mean different things in different cultures, right?

Yes and no.

What is the same in every culture is the feeling the other person is trying to be kind.

Kind is not about words or rules.

Kind is a feeling.

Kind is when the other person meets your eyes and you can see they understand you.

They understand you feel happy, sad, nervous or angry.

And they care about how you feel.

And they want you to feel happy, better, peaceful, okay.

This is kind.

This is a feeling.

And it is universal.

Okay, now that I have said all that, here are some ways to close an email or letter:

1. When you don't know the person or you need to be polite or formal:

Sincerely,

Very Sincerely,

Respectfully,

2. A step below that is:

Best Regards,

3. A step below that is:

Best,

4. If you know the person well, you can start to be a little playful:

With a smile,

Take care,

I hope all's well -

Hoping you're well,

Hmmm... let me add an addendum here.

An addendum is something extra.

Maybe you know your boss well - but she or he is still your boss!

You must always stop and think: What is my relationship with this person?

Are we equals?

Is there a hierarchy? (A top, middle, bottom relationship)

Are we family?

And even if you are family, are you getting along well right now?! ;-)))

With someone I love, a family member or good friend, I might close with

With a hug,

With a hug for you and a kiss for your (name of child),

Missing you,

Love,

You get the idea.

Again, the main idea I want to get across is:

American culture has rules!

It might seem casual, but believe you me, there are still rules.

Believe you me is an idiom that means "you should believe me on this!"

If there weren't any rules, then anybody could be a millionaire or president and let's face it, not just everybody becomes a millionaire or president.

I know that is the popular idea but - it is not the reality.

Idea.

Reality.

Not the same.

The people who make it to the top get there for many different reasons. Some are good. Some are bad. But there are reasons they succeed.

Do you think those reasons are the same in every culture?

Let me know what you think.

All the best,

Cynthia

Where was Cynthia?

2009-07-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

Cynthia was here (right there, to the right).

I have a story about that but I will save it for later.

For now, I will talk more about writing because writing is what this is supposed to be (mostly) about.

Speaking of writing, shouldn't that be "I will write more about writing"?

Well, yes, really it should.

Because I am not talking. I am writing.

But sometimes people write in a colloquial way.

What does colloquial mean?

It means the way people talk.

Is it okay to write in a colloquial way?

Sometimes.

I think - you can tell me if I am write or wrong - it is helpful if teacher try to explain things in a colloquial way.

(Am I right?

Am I wrong?)

It is not good to send your boss a colloquial email if you don't have a good relationship with him or her.

And sometimes, even if you do have a good relationship with them, it is not good to write in a colloquial way.

More about that in a minute.

(Look up.)

Hope Rising

2009-07-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I talked about goals and motivation.

An important component in reaching a goal is hope.

Wait! What is a component?

A component is a part of something.

Cars have many components. Often, they are expensive!

Also: Let's look at that sentence again:

An important component in reaching a goal is hope.

Is that normal English?

Yes and no.

Typical English is subject + verb.

So that would be:

Hope is an important component in reaching a goal.

Hope - subject

is - verb

is blah blah blah - predicate - (more information about the subject)

Every sentence has a subject and a predicate.

And a long time ago, American kids had to learn about things like that.

But now they don't.

(Is that good or bad? I'm not sure. In a way, it's a lot of time to learn about something that most people never use again. In another way, it helps you understand language in a way that you can use when you learn other languages. And it helps many people write complex English correctly. But that's life: Schools change. Rules change. Change is the only thing that stays the same.)

So back to our sentence: An important component in reaching a goal is hope.

Is it okay to switch things around like that?

Sure it is! If you know the rules, you can switch things around.

In fact, it is often a lot more interesting if you do.

(If you don't know the rules and all this feels messy and scary, keep to the easy way - subject + verb.)

But look here, I have spent all time talking about grammar, which I said don't like, and no time talking about hope. And the name of this post is Hope Rising!

So let's get to it.

The name of this post is Hope Rising because the name of a very good book is Esperanza Rising.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan is for kids aged 8 to 11 years old - and you.

It is the story of a young girl named Esperanza who moved to the United States from Mexico in the 1930s. She meets and overcomes many obstacles.

Why is this book for you?

Because the English is not too difficult.

Because if you have kids you can read this book together.

Because it's a great story - kids like it and so will you.

Because it's inspiring.

Because we all have difficult times in our life and we all need stories of people who have overcome difficulties to help us keep going.

Because it's about the difficulties of moving to a new country.

Because it's about hope - esperanza.

Are hope and esperanza the same thing?

Ah... good question!

Esperar is Spanish verb. It means hope for and wait for and expect.

Hope and wait and expect are not the same ideas in English.

I hope to win a million dollars but I do not wait for it. And I do not expect it.

In English language cultures, we can wait and wait and wait for something -

without hope.

What does that mean?

Hmmm... interesting, eh?

Different cultures have different ideas about life.

Different people do, too.

Are hoping and waiting and expecting the same thing for your home culture?

Are hoping and waiting and expecting the same thing for you?

If you hope for something, do you expect to get it?

If you do, you understand something very powerful.

Check out Esperanza Rising and tell me what you think.

Does hope rise?

Can it lift things up?

_________________________________________________________________

Note for parents: Pam Munoz Ryan's Website has many good links, including links to other authors you and your kids might enjoy. Ms. Munoz Ryan's books are very popular in schools and many children write reports on her and her books.

Goals versus Motivations

2009-06-28T18:43:00.001-07:00

Goals - we all have them.

We want new jobs, new houses, to have a baby, to get married (okay, maybe reverse the order on that one!), to become president of the United States or Uruguay.

Why?

The why is the motivation and that's what I want to talk about here.

As an ESL teacher, I hear all about everyone's goals.

They want a better job.

They want better English.

They want to move back home.

They want to move to Burlingame.

They want a bigger apartment, house, car.

They want to be a waiter, cook, manager, restaurant owner.

They - you - we - want more, more, more.

Why?

That is the question.

That is the question because that is the secret to success.

I see a million people, hear a million goals, see only some successes.

What separates those who succeed from those you don't?

After thinking about it for years and years, here's what I have decided:

Motivation. That is the key.

Luck, circumstance, resources, contacts, friends, support, role models, mentors - all these things make a difference.

But lots of people have all that and still don't succeed.

And some people have none of that and do.

Why?

Exactly.

Because of why they want to succeed.

If you want to improve your English because with better English you can get a better job... sure... that sounds great, right?

Improving your English is your goal and a better job is your motivation.

My idea about that one: So-so.

Why?

Because I hear that all the time but I don't see it getting a lot of people anywhere.

People say, "I need better English. I want a better job."

(You will notice that most of the time people say, "I need better English" and "I want a better job."

Need is stronger than want.

But really: which of those things do you think is more important to the person?)

Here's what I see that works:

I want my kids to have a better future than I have. I love my kids. I have suffered. I don't want my kids to suffer. I am determined to help my kids.

Now, if those feelings are real and true, then that's a real and true motivation.

The kind of motivation that can make you study boring, Boring, BORING English grammar.

Because let's face it: studying grammar is mostly boring!

Ooops! Did I say that?

Sure, because we all know it's TRUE.

That's why it's good if we can figure out fun ways to learn a language. Because just sitting there studying the rules is HARD and BORING.

At least it is for most people and that's why I think most people don't do it.

But a real, true FEELING motivation can get you to sit down and study those awful, boring rules. Or figure out a fun way to learn things.

A real, true FEELING motivation that keep your mind on what you WANT so that you can get through what you DON'T WANT and doing what you don't want to do is a big part of reaching a goal.

Let's test this out with another goal many people talk about.

How about weight loss?

Losing weight can make you healthier.

Good motivation?

Uh... in my opinion... no.

Of course losing weight can make you healthier.

So why don't more people lose weight?

Losing weight is hard!

You have to exercise even when it feels hard to exercise. You have to eat less of what you love to eat. You have to eat more of what you don't want to eat. The whole thing is hard!

How about: It feels great when men stare at my hot body and women look at me with jealousy and I feel really powerful.

Losing weight = feeling attractive and powerful.

Now that's a motivation!

(No, I don't think that way. I am telling you this because we all understand such feelings.
They are real and they are powerful and they are why and how some women lose weight. Not all. But some.)

Or: My knees are killing me. I want to have fun with my kid. I can't fun with my kid anymore because my knees kill me when we try to do things together. If I lose weight, my knees won't hurt and I can have fun with my kid.

Losing weight = connecting with my kid, joy, having a lifelong relationship with my child, being taken care of when I grow old, being remembered as a fun mother and grandmother.

Another good motivation!

Why am I talking about all this?

Because I am guessing that if you are reading this blog, you want to improve your English.

Which a lot of people want to do.

No, that was not a complete sentence. It was a fragment.

That's okay.

What's not okay is having a goal and talking a lot about it and never reaching it.

That doesn't feel good.

I know, because sometimes I do that.

It feels pretty frustrating, actually, and sometimes it can feel really bad.

So.

My advice?

If you have a goal and you want to reach it... think about your motivation.

And when I say, think about your motivation, I really mean:

think about your motivation.

So, for example, if you want to improve your English because you want a better job, think about why you hate the job you have now. And how a better job would feel. And what a better job would bring you.

Would a better job enable you to buy a really comfortable couch and pay for HBO and Showtime?

And you would work all day at that great, new job and then come home and lie on that really comfy couch and watch Nurse Jackie and Big Love and Dexter?

And it would feel great?

If that is real and true, for you, then see and feel that couch and those programs before you pick up your dictionary or click on www.elllo.org.

Really see and feel that couch and those programs.

Because that couch and those programs can help you do boring, hard stuff.

At least thinking about them can.

And better than couches and programs are thoughts of helping your kids or your community or answering a spiritual call or fulfilling a passion.

Keep your mind or your heart on those things and you can do anything.

I've seen it before.

We all have.

People whose dreams cut like diamonds through difficulty.

People who don't want to be hungry again.

People who want to bring their kids here.

People who want to bring their mothers here.

People who want to bring comfort to the sick or joy to the world.

Those dreams are powerful.

Those dreams are real.

Just like yours.

Dear or Hi?

2009-06-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers - or should that be Hi Readers?

Last Spring, one of my online students asked me if she could start an email with Hi instead of Dear.

I thought I should share my response with you because you might find the information useful, also.

With her permission, here it is:

Dear B,

Yes, you can also use Hi but only when the feeling is very casual or you already have a friendship or friendly relationship with the person.

Example: I use Hi in emails to a boss I know very well and have a good relationship with. Recently I started using Hi with another boss that I am on good terms with but don't know as well as the first boss. I never use Hi with the "Big Boss" or other administrators that I don't know well.

In most situations, there is always a hierarchy even if there doesn't seem to be. For people from more formal cultures, California can be confusing. We look very casual. We don't seem to have a lot of "rules." But like every culture, we have rules. They just might be different from the rules in your home culture.

We have ways of showing respect or deference to higher-ups. If you break those "rules," it is harder to succeed or make good relationships.

I would say that California culture is more casual than other parts of the U.S. but probably a little less casual than Brazil. This is just a guess because I don't know everything about Brazil.. (Or California! ;-) But it might give you a rough idea of what to do in different situations.

I hope this is helpful. Let me know if you want more info because I am happy to oblige!

Sincerely,

Cynthia

After I sent B that email, I continued to process this topic.

(You remember processing, right?)

Here are some of my random thoughts:

The dress code at a job may be very relaxed. It is truly okay to wear jeans or to wear sandals, for example. But take a look at who moves up the ladder. Is it the person who wears jeans? Often it is not.

(Okay, right here I have to admit that I love wearing jeans and that I wear jeans to work. I tried not to for a long time but at last, I just gave in to it. They are so comfortable! And I wear dressy shirts with my jeans - sometimes! ;-))

You can apply this idea to other things: how does the "successful" person talk, handle conflicts, treat bosses, treat "underlings, " handle responsibilities, etc.?

Do I think that only people of good character succeed? No. Sometimes people of very bad character succeed. However, they usually know how to "play the game" very well. It is this "game" that I am talking about here, as well as issues of character.

If you treat people well, if you show them respect, if you treat them kindly, you build good relationships. As many Californians would say, "you make good karma." Yes, I know, Californians do not use "karma" in the same way as traditional Buddhists from Asia. But the idea is: if you put out good energy into the world, you will receive good energy.

Personally, I think that is true. So if you are kind to others, maybe you will or won't "succeed" in your job but you will definitely succeed in life. Most importantly, when you need a friend, you will have one and in life, as we all know, that is very, very important.

Times are not always easy. People get sick. People die. The economy takes a dip. People fall on hard times or need someone to pick up their kid after school or drive them to chemotherapy or make dinner because they have the flu. At that time, it is good to have positive relationships with other people, whether or not they are your family. It is money in the "bank of life," so to speak.

There is asaying, "You meet the same people going down the ladder that you met going up."

In other words, if you treat people kindly while you are succeeding in life, it will be easier for you if you fail at something later. On the way down the ladder, you will meet the same people you met on the way up. If you were nice to them, they will be nice to you when you need it most.

Back to B's question:

I think there are two things important to remember:

1. How does a particular culture show respect? What are its customs? Try to observe and figure them out. Ask people in that culture for help understanding the "rules" (the customs).

2. Be kind. Some things are international. A smile. Sharing your sandwich. Telling someone, "Go on and go home and get some rest. I will finish your work for you." or "Do you need a ride?" mean kindness anywhere.

We all worry about offending others. I do, too. Sometimes I have to work hard to remember: "Okay, Cynthia, remember, this person does not like to be touched. Don't hug them!" (Because I like to give hugs but hugs are not really okay in every culture.) Or: "Do I open the gift now or later? What do I do? Do I write a thank you note?" Or: "Uh oh! I don't pork or beef! This person has offered me beautiful food that they made. It is beautiful; it is the traditional food of their country; and it is pork and beef and I don't pork and beef!"

I know the rules for my culture (I think! ;-). And I know the rules pretty well for a few other cultures. But I don't know all the rules for all cultures.

So I have to go the essence of the thing. I try to remember:

Try to be kind. Try to be considerate.

If I make a mistake, apologize. Tell the person, "I am trying." Tell them, "I am sorry. I was grumpy. That was not okay."

Do something to show the person I care even if I don't know the rules or I'm breaking them.

I make a lot of mistakes - in this and other areas. That is life. People who don't make mistakes are not growing. No mistakes means no movement and no movement means stagnation and stagnation is the opposite of life. Stagnation is the place we get in when we are afraid of making mistakes. Stagnation is fear of life.

So start your emails with "Dear" or "Hi" or just come right out and say, "Please let me know how you would like to be addressed - Mr. or Mrs. or Charlie, etc." When in doubt, always choose the more formal way. Forms and customs are a way of showing respect before the relationship grows in the heart.

You don't usually go wrong in asking people how they want to be treated. They may be surprised by it. But they will also know that you consider their feelings important.

And in the end, isn't that what we all want? We want to feel that we matter to other people.

Like you matter to me!

All the best,

Cynthia

Restored!

2009-06-22T13:22:00.001-07:00

Wow... time in nature... What a miracle cure.

(What's a miracle cure?

Well, a regular cure might be antibiotics and bedrest.

A miracle cure would be pickles - or time in nature - or your grandma's chicken soup.)

I am restored.

What's restored?

Well, let's start with store.

Store is a verb and a noun.

Store means to keep or hold something.

Some people store a lot of stuff in their garage, for example.

Do you know anyone like that? ;-)

Sometimes other people in their family get upset with these people.

"Get a storage locker!" they tell them.

"Put all this stuff in storage!"

So they haul their CDs and their books and the clothes that don't fit anymore and that wonderful trophy they won in the sixth grade and a lot of other stuff and store it in a storage locker.

Then they go to the store and buy more stuff! ;-))

We can buy stuff from a store because the store holds a lot of stuff that is for sale.

If we spend a lot of time buying and selling things, storing and moving things, worrying and arguing about things, we get tired.

Then we need a vacation.

What's a vacation?

What's vacate?

Vacate means empty.

So we go on a vacation. We go somewhere else. Sometimes we bring a lot of stuff with us. Sometimes we don't. We go to Disneyland or Hawaii or St. Petersburg or Pt. Reyes and we empty out. All our troubles and worries fall out of our brains. All the stuff that we argue about falls right out of our head.

And we feel restored.

Hmmm...

Restored with what, exactly?

Before I Go

2009-06-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

Before I go, I want to tell you about a great guy,
a great CD, and a great deal.

Who's the guy? That one - right there.
Mr. Dan Zanes. One my favorite musicians for kids, grown-ups, or anybody.

What's the CD? That one - right there.
Catch That Train. Songs from around the world, including my personal favorite, Welcome Table.

What's the Deal? This one - right here:

Dan Zane's grammy-winning cd is available for download for the low low price of $1.99 today June 13, 2009 only at amazon.com.

Why am I telling you about this and what does it have to do with English, writing, American culture or anything else I said I would talk about here?

1. I love Dan Zanes. Really, that's enough.

2. Singing, listening to other people sing, singing along with other people - best way in the world to learn English, Latvian, Chinese, or any other language.

3. Dan Zanes' stuff: lots of songs from all over the world and from all over the US. Listen to Dan Zanes' CDs and you'll learn about US history and US culture. You'll also have a good time.

4. Great deal. And if you know me, you know I'm all about the great deals. Great deal, is, in fact, my middle name.

5. I Don't Want Your Millions Mister. First, you had to hear my daughter sing that when she was little. Beautiful, just beautiful. Second, you have to love a song that is about the right to a fair wage and decent working conditions. This is not the first time in US history that people have struggled economically. In fact, it was much worse in the past - but people's memories are short and some have no memory at all. They never learned our history. They don't know to make connections between what came before and what happens today. Make the connection. Learn your history.

How? Okay, good point. I'll try to give some pointers about that soon.

Okay, now... I've really got to finish packing and ready us to get out of here.

Time management is not strength.

But the goal is: Finish packing so we can go here before we leave tomorrow for there.

Wish me luck!

Falling Into the Mountain

2009-06-11T23:41:00.000-07:00

We're going here.

No, not the top!

But in the arms, in the lakes, in the forests, in the magic of this great mountain.

Walking along her shoulders, drinking from her springs, losing ourselves in her shadows,

disappearing to reappear -

new again.

R and R - that's what we need.

What is R and R?

Rest

Renewal

Relaxation

Rejuvenation

Recreation

What is recreation?

Is that like Parks and Recreation?

Uh... sort of.

Let's take these words apart.

Rest.

Hard to take that one apart.

It sits. Like a stone. The stop between beats of sound.

Rest.

Stop.

Renewal.

Re: Again

New: Just born

Renewal: Born again

Relaxation

Re: Again

Lax: Open. Loose.

Relaxation: Open again.

Rejuvenation.

Spanish speakers?

Re: Again

Juven: Young

Rejuvenation: Young again.

Recreation

Re: Again

Create: Make. Grow.

Recreation: Grow again.

Rest

Renewal

Relaxation

Rejuvenation

Recreation

Stop

Born Again

Open Again

Young Again

Grow Again

Sometimes

We need to stop.

Sometimes

We need to fall apart

to stop fixing things

to stop working to learn it, do it, be it, know it

and instead

fall back into the open mouth

of ignorance where we don't know the answers to anything

even the question of our name.

It's nice to not have the answers all the time.

Here's a little secret:

Much of the time, we don't have the answers.

Which is good -

Because we're not really here for the answers.

We're here for the questions.

I'll falling into some, quite happily, for all of a week, recreating myself, up on the Mountain.

My daughter and I and a friend and her daughters are meeting up there Sunday,

circling up for some much needed R and R.

Until my return, enjoy your English.

And check out Kiva.

Making The World Turn

2009-06-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

What makes the world go around?

Love, of course.

Money, is good, too.

Money, seeds, milk, honey, gasoline, wheat, rice, shoes, books, pencils, bricks, cement, irrigation systems, solar heating, cell phones, childcare, eldercare, trees, and of course, coffee.

How can you help make the world go around?

Lend twenty five dollars to a good person with a good idea.

And then, after they make something good happen with that twenty five dollars -
get your money back.

That's right, get your money back.

At www.kiva.org you can people from around world, including right here in the Bay Area,

(that's the San Francisco Bay Area for those of you reading this somewhere else)

twenty five dollars so they can create or build their own business.

And 97% of those people will pay you back.

What happens to the other 3%?

Well, as they say, sometimes life happens. Sometimes things go wrong, people have problems, wars start, and other crazy stuff. But it's just twenty five dollars. It is worth the risk.

That's what microloan programs are all about.

Wait - what's a microloan program?

Micro - small, teeny tiny, itsy-bitsy, small, very small
Microloan - a small loan
Microloan program - small loans with big results

Barack Obama's mother helped build one of the most successful microloan programs in the world.

"Ann's most lasting professional legacy was to help build the microfinance program in Indonesia, which she did from 1988 to '92—before the practice of granting tiny loans to credit-poor entrepreneurs was an established success story. Her anthropological research into how real people worked helped inform the policies set by the Bank Rakyat Indonesia, says Patten, an economist who worked there. "I would say her work had a lot to do with the success of the program," he says. Today Indonesia's microfinance program is No. 1 in the world in terms of savers, with 31 million members, according to Microfinance Information eXchange Inc., a microfinance-tracking outfit."

Time Magazine, The Story of Barack Obama, April 9, 2008

So what does this mean to you?

If you visit www.kiva.org and you lend someone twenty five dollars, what is going to happen?

Well, that twenty five dollars could help someone buy a cow or a sheep or more groceries for their corner grocery store. Or it could help someone start a childcare business. Or grow more fruit.

And then they will make money.

And pay you back.

And take care of their family.

And help their neighbors.

And feel good.

Feel that big, happy feeling when you have done something hard, when you have helped yourself, when you have helped someone else, when you have been helped by someone else, when you have loved and been loved.

And then there will be a little less hunger, a little less poverty, a little less anger, less hate, less fighting, less war.

Can you live with that?

Can you live with a little more love?

Give and receive some.

Visit www.kiva.org today.

Who's American?

2009-06-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

First, notice that's who's and not whose.

Who's - whose - what's the difference?

Ah, it's so frustrating, isn't it? All these things that sound the same but mean different things.

Who's = Who is

Whose = Belonging to someone

Whose red hat is this? And why did they leave it in my car?
Who's the bald man over there? The one running over here?
Is this his hat?

Who's the woman over there with the full lips and the warm brown skin and the curly hair?
Is she an American?
Who's the young boy over there with almond eyes and the thick black hair?
Is he an American?
Who's the old man with the amber skin and the dark eyes and the long, pointed nose?
Is he an American?

Who - is - an - American?

Good question.

Are they brown, white, pink, green?
Straight hair, nappy hair, blonde hair, red?
Freckles, fat, thin, eyes wide, narrow, almond, hound-dog, bushy eyebrows, small feet?

Born on the 4th of July?

Ask an immigrant or visitor to the U.S. this question.

How do you think he or she will respond?

Ask an American this question.

What will they say?

Will an American who lives in San Francisco say the same thing that an American living in Billings, Montana? How about an American from Miami? New York? St. Louis?

Ava, Missouri?

Hawaii?

Is Obama an American?

Quick - close your eyes and think, "American!"

What do you see?

Blonde?
Blue-eyed?
Fair-skinned?

Jennifer Aniston! :-)

Who were the first Americans?

Who were the first immigrants?

Which ethnic groups have the longest roots in this country?

Do roots matter?

Today, I'm not giving answers, just asking questions.

Answers I'll offer another time.

Hey! I put the direct object first.

Direct Object - Subject - Verb
Answers - I - will offer

Is that okay?

Now that's a question I'll answer .

Yes, it's okay.

Is it typical?

Not so much, anymore.

If you want to play it safe, do the typical way: Subject - Verb - Direct Object.
As in: I ask questions.

What's playing it safe as an American?

What's playing it safe?

Playing it safe: not taking any risks.

What's playing it safe as an American?

What's a safe way to be an American?

Do you have to listen to Rock-n-Roll? Hip-Hop?

Do you have to know all the words to the Star Spangled Banner?

Can you eat chicken soup with a chicken foot floating in it and be an American?

Do Americans ever take care of their aging parents?

Can you be an American and live with your cousins?

Can you be poor?

Can you make mistakes in English grammar?

We all walk around with ideas in our head.

Sometimes we call these ideas concepts.

Some picture of what something is.

This is a cat - it has whiskers, a long tail, and it's sitting in my lap.

(And one really is, right now. She is slim, black, and silent. Her front legs are wrapped around mine and her eyes are shut tight against the light of the computer screen.)

This is a dog - it has whiskers, a long tail - sometimes, and it barks.

This is an American.

Quick - who did you see?

You?

Me?

Here's an article about some Americans: Equality A Long Fight.

One of the Americans Mr. Nolte mentions was a professor of mine.

Professor Takaki wasn't flashy in the classroom. He spoke in a quiet way.

Only his mind was loud.

Working like a locksmith, he opened door after door in our minds by asking questions.

What is this?

Why is that?

Who are we?

You can read more about Professor Takaki here.

You can learn more Professor Takaki, yourself, myself, and millions of people, many of them Americans, by asking yourself these questions:

Who's American?

Whose ideas decide?

Say Hello to Elllo!

2009-06-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, my new favorite website for English learners is http://www.elllo.org/

That's with three l's, by the way.

Here's what I like about Elllo:

1. It's got a million, zillion cool videos - conversations, stories, all kinds of great stuff. You can listen to people talk, read a transcript of what they say, answer questions about the conversations, and learn, learn, learn English. All kinds of English, too - the videos feature native speakers from many different English-speaking countries, plus non-native speakers.

2. In that little search box up on the right - you can type in something you're interested in, such as cats, dragons, technology, race cars, you name it, and you will get conversations on that subject. (You have to look below the Google Ads to find the conversations. They are all numbered. Why? I don't know.)

3. You can listen to all this stuff on your computer or download it onto an MP3 player so you can listen on the go.

Here's what I don't like:

1. For me, the website is visually confusing. I am an extremely visual person and when there is a lot of visual information, my brain takes it all in and if this visual information is disorganized and there is a lot of it, my brain lights up and big red letters flash "WARNING WARNING WARNING - OVERLOAD OVERLOAD OVERLOAD" and there is a beeping sound during all this and then suddenly! Crash! My brain shuts down and I can't look at that confusing plate of too much information anymore.

Okay, not really. Not exactly. But you get the idea.

For me, it's a visually confusing website.

I am guessing this website was created and is maintained by brilliant people who are auditory learners. I mean, hey, this is all stuff to listen to, right? This website is all about listening and understanding English - more than watching videos. These are not silent movies!

So... what to do?

Well, these folks could pay me to give them my opinion about what would make their website easier to look at and use.

Or not.

And you can check out this website.

Or not.

If you ask me, I think you should.

It's pretty amazing.

Pretty darn amazing, very definitely.

So if you've got a headache from crazy English, my prescription is:

Take a look -

Give a listen -

To Elllo

Today.

Americans Love Processing

2009-06-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

Processing. Americans love processing. Especially Americans who were born and raised in California - like me.

We talk about our process. We process our process.

When you ask us for a decision, we tell you, "I don't know. I'm still processing."

Processing, processing, processing.

What is processing?

Well, until recent years, processing was something that happened to meat.

Meat processing plants are places where people and machines cut up meat and make it into steaks, hamburger, and hot dogs.

A cow or a pig becomes a hot dog.

In other words, something big - something too big to eat in one piece -
is cut up, mashed up, changed - into something small you can eat.

It is easier to eat a hot dog than to eat a pig.

It is easier to eat a hamburger than to eat a cow.

You get the idea.

So... because are people are crazy and creative and smart and their brains are always working like scissors and sewing machines, one day someone said,

"I don't know what I want to do about that situation. I need to process that a while."

What does that mean?

It means this situation is like a big cow or pig in this person's brain.

They cannot eat this situation. They cannot understand it.

They must cut it, mash it, squeeze it, separate it into many smaller pieces.

Then they can eat the idea. Then they can understand it. Then they can make a decision.

So now, many, many, many Americans use this word "process" to talk about cutting something up in their mind, mashing it and slicing it and changing it into something they can understand it.

They also use it to mean to talking with another person for this same purpose.

Some people love to process.

If they have a problem in their relationship, they want to process the problem with the other person.

Does this mean going on a picnic together? Or visiting Disneyland? Or a meat plant?

No, it means a lot of talking. Lots and lots of talking. Often the person who is angry or upset and needs to process does the most talking.

Sometimes, if you say to that person, "I don't like to talk so much. When I have a problem, I like to talk a walk and think about it. Or I like to pray or meditate about it. Or I like to write about it," - if you say that to a person who likes to process, they will often tell you, "Well, that is my process. I need to process things with people." And they will give you a look that says, "And that is the best way to do things and you should like to do things this way, also."

Okay, they won't always give you that look... but sometimes they do.

So... what's your process?

When you have a problem... when you have something really big to understand... when you have a decision to make... what's your process?

Do you like to talk long walks and think about your problem while you walk?

Do you like to process your problem with a friend?

Do you like to process it in your writing? Do you keep a journal? Do you write down the pros and cons, the good and the bad, all the choices you must choose between?

Do you like to paint, hike, garden, or watch tv when you have a problem?

Ooops - I think I just wrote down what I like to do when I have a problem!

I also like to process some things with friends. It depends on the problem. And it depends on where I'm at in my process.

Sometimes, in the beginning, I like to just sit with the problem.

This means I do or don't think about it. I might go outside and put some compost on my vegetable garden. Or pick some weeds. Or talk a walk. I might come inside and paint a mandala or stare out the window and watch the ships move like waterbugs across the water. Then I might lie on the couch and watch a very intense drama on tv. If the people in the drama have big, big problems, this is best. I like on the oouch and I watch these people struggle with their problems and I forget about mine.

For a while.

Then, I might write about it. Or call a friend. Or do both.

That is my process.

How about you?

Extra Credit

By the way, the noun process rhymes with the noun progress.

But the verb process does not rhyme with the verb progress - at least here in California.

We say the noun process and the verb process the same way -

the pro rhymes with bra, ma, paw, law, and saw.

But with progress, here in California, the land of progress,

we say the verb progress so that the pro rhymes with go, sew, woe, and no.

Is that crazy?

Yes.

But that is the process of progress in the Land of Language.

Remember, we don't live on Planet Perfect.

At least, I don't.

How about you?

USA Learns - And You Can, Too

2009-05-31T17:50:00.000-07:00

http://www.usalearns.org/

I just found out about this site - at a meeting where I learned more cuts may be coming to my school.

Cuts... I am so sick of them!

(What are cuts?

Cuts are when money is cut away from a budget, like slices of cheese are cut away from a block of cheese. Right now, a lot of cuts are happening in California because we are having a lot of budget problems.)

So... back to English... learning it... and free things.

USA Learns is free. And it's great. And it's brought to you by the U.S. Department of Education.

Right now, I wish the US Department of Education could share some money with the California Department of Education - but that is another story.

USA Learns offers you three programs for learning English.

-- English for All
-- Putting English to Work
-- Stories from http://www.cdlponline.org/

I know from experience that these are three excellent programs.

Each programs has videos to watch and exercises to do.

The program will keep track of your scores so you can watch your progress.

What is progress?

Progress means when you move in a positive direction toward something good, positive, something you want.

Progress - when the pro rhymes with bra or ma- is a noun.

Progress - when the pro rhymes with low or sew - is a verb.

At least, that's how we say it here in California, in the USA.

In the UK, in Australia, in Jamaica, in South Africa, in India, in Kenya, in many other places, it's different. I can only tell you the USA Great State of California way.

I know... crazy, crazy English. It makes you crazy, doesn't it?

Yeah, me, too.

But not this website.

It will not make you crazy.

It will help you.

For free!

To learn how to use it, click on Introduction.

A helpful brunette will explain everything to you in English or Spanish.

What is a brunette?

A brunette is a woman with brown hair.

If we say a blonde or a brunette, we mean a woman with yellow hair if she's a blonde or a woman with brown hair if she's a brunette.

Is it always a woman?

Yes.

If we want to talk about a man, we say a blonde man or a man with brown hair.

Why?

Well, since you asked me, I will give you my idea.

I think in this culture and in about one million other cultures, a woman's appearance is very important.

For a man, his income. For a woman, her appearance.

Do I like this? No. But I think this is true.

So when we use appearance words, we are often talking about women. And when we use money words, we are often talking about men.

That's how the world is, right now.

It's a world in a recession, with lots of budget cuts in the Great State of California.

It's a world with a crazy language called English that many people speak and many people want to speak and some people don't want to speak. And so they don't.

But others do.

It's a world with a wonderful free website that helps people learn English.

It's a world with many wonderful people speaking all kinds of many wonderful languages, many of them a little crazy.

Why?

Well, since you asked me...

;-)))

because people are crazy.

People are not logical.

People move and marry each other and take over countries or are taken over by other countries and trade things with each other and do all sorts of other things that make languages change and people change, too.

That is life.

We can complain about it.

Or we can live it.

Or... and is this true for almost everybody? We live while we complain, some a little, some a lot.

Have some fun while you do that, will you?

It's important.

Listen and Learn

2009-05-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

I talked about books on CD. You can also listen to books - and music, of course - on MP3 players.

What are MP3 players?

Well, to begin with - those are two MP3 players right up there -
in pink and green. They are i-Pods, which are a little on the expensive side.

You can get cheaper ones. Go to http://www.target.com/ and search for MP3 player and find some as cheap as $25.00.

What do you do with them?

You download music or podcasts onto them.

What are podcasts?

They are recordings of sound. Speech, music, or any other kind of sound.

Technology is changing so fast. A few years ago, it was CDs. Before that, it was cassette tapes. When I was very young, it was reel to reel tapes. All these forms of technology do the same thing. They record sound. You or someone else records sound. You or someone else listens to it.

Hey, Spanish speakers! What does recordar mean? Remember?

And how about records? Remember those?

We have invented many ways to record sound.

So why do you need to know about MP3 players?

Because that's the latest form of technology for recording and playing back sound and because you need to know the sounds of English, you need to know about MP3 players.

Get one.

And then check out the following:

1. http://www.eslpod.com/ Free ESL listening lessons. You can listen to them on the computer or download onto an MP3 player. You can also subscribe to them - for free - via iTunes.

2. http://storynory.com/. Stories for kids - also good for higher level ESL students. Especially higher level ESL students with kis! Again - all free. Listen to them on your computer, download them onto your MP3 player, and/or subscribe to them via iTunes.

3. http://www.podomatic.com/ Make your own podcasts or look for podcasts that other people have made. Search for ESL lessons. As with the other websites, you can listen via a computer or download onto an MP3 player. Some accounts are password protected and some are open to the public. All free.

4. http://www.npr.org/ This is the website for National Public Radio which is a great source of information on just about everything. If you look on the left-hand side of the website and scroll down a bit, you will a link for podcasts. You can also just click here. They have podcasts of all sorts of programs - news, cultural matters, politics, etc. etc. The English on NPR is high level but they speak very clearly. I recommend it for improving your vocabulary, listening skills, grammar, syntax,

Hey! What is syntax?!

It is word order. The order of the words in sentences.

For example: article adjective noun verb. (The black cat leaps.) That's a typical English word order.

Or: article noun adjective verb. El gato negro canta. That's a typical Spanish word order.

Difference languages use different syntax.

And what's a good way to learn syntax?

By driving yourself nuts learning all the rules?

Sure, that's a great way!

Go for it!

Then share your info here!

Or you can do things the lazy way.

The sleepy river cat way.

The sitting in the bathtub a long time way.

The same way you learned your first language way.

What is that way?

It's listening.

Listening to English.

Listening, listening, listening to something you are truly interested in - in English.

Don't think about the grammar.

Don't think about the syntax.

Listen to the story.

You can do that with these websites and an MP3 player (or a computer like the one you're reading this on).

But if you like grammar, check out:

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

Hearing, Listening, Understanding - What's the Difference?

2009-05-26T11:02:00.001-07:00

Hearing -

Listening -

Understanding -

What's the difference?

Good question!

Let's talk.

Hearing is something that happens with your ears and your brain.

Sometimes when people are old, their hearing is not good. They wear hearing aids. They ask people to "Speak up!" or say, "Please repeat that." They cannot hear well.

My mother wears two hearing aids. She has hearing loss. The little bones in her ears that help her hear - the stirrup, the anvil, and the hammer - are soft. She inherited this problem.

What does inherit means? It means receive from your ancestors - your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents. You can inherit money. You can inherit disease.

When you see a word with her, you know it has to do with family and passing things on - heir, heredity, inherit, disinherit, etc.

She inherited this hearing problem. Thank goodness, I did not inherit it from her.

My mother does not have a listening problem.

What is listening?

Listening is giving your attention to something or someone.

Listening is trying to understand.

Sometimes my daughter has a listening problem.

I tell her "Put away your clean clothes. They are in the laundry basket in your room."

But - does she put away the clean clothes?

Many times, no.

She is not really listening. She is watching TV or listening to a book on CD or drawing. Her ears work. Her brain works. She can hear just fine. But she is not listening to me. She is not giving me her attention. She is attending to something else - the TV, her story she is listening to, the story she is writing.

Attention - noun

Attend - verb

Attendance - noun

Attentive - adjective

Many husbands do not listen to their wives. Many wives do not listen to their husbands.

Some children do not listen to their parents and some parents do not listen to their children. Bosses don't listen to their employees and employees don't listen to their bosses.

It is difficult to listen all the time, isn't it?

It is tiring.

Sometimes we must "turn off our listening ears." It is too hard, too much, too exhausting to listen all the time.

Do you ever feel that way about English?

It is too hard, too much, too exhausting to try to understand?

Your listening ears shut down. Your ears close up. That part of your brain shuts down and you stop listening. No more! No more! No more!

Many ESL students have a listening comprehension problem with English.

What is listening comprehension?

What is comprehension?

Comprehension is understanding.

Comprehend - verb
Comprehension - noun

Listening comprehension: Understanding what you are listening to.

Dimitri has good hearing.
He can hear English words.

He has good listening skills.

He gives English conversation a lot of attention. He listens closely.

But he understands only a little.

He does not know many English words.

He has low listening comprehension.

I don't have listening comprehension for Chinese or Russian.

I know only a few words in Chinese and Russian.
If people speak Chinese or Russian to me, I can hear them. I can listen to them.

But I do not understand.

I do not comprehend.
I have no listening comprehension. I have no understanding.

If you want to improve your listening comprehension, I recommend that you listen to books on CD or MP3 files.

You can borrow books on CD for free from your public library.

You can listen to the books while you drive, ride on the bus, do the dishes, or clean your house.

It is okay if you do not understand every word.

You are absorbing the sounds and patterns of English when you listen.

You are improving your listening comprehension.

You can also listen and read at the same time. You can borrow the book and borrow the book on CD.

If you listen and read at the same time, you will not improve your listening comprehension very much. But you will improve your vocabulary and English a lot.

You can ask the librarian for help.

Tell the librarian what kinds of books you like -

non-fiction - books that are true - about history, gardening, auto repair, politics, or religion

fiction - books that are not true - stories about the present, past, or future

The librarian will help you find a good book that you can understand.

The young adult section of the library has many books that are good for ESL students.

The books are interesting and the English is a little easier. Not super easy but easier.

You can also listen to children's books on CD.

The English in children's books is easier.

I like the Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne. The English is not too difficult. The books are about 3rd grade level Englsh. The children in the stories visit many countries and cultures. You can improve your listening comprehension and vocabulary and also learn about other countries, cultures, and events in history.

The Magic Treehouse books are available on CD or in book form at your Public Library -

for free.

You can also buy them from bookstores or online.

(Support your local bookstore! In San Francisco, I love Green Apple, Red Hill, Phoenix, and Dog-Eared Books.)

If you have children, you can listen to books on CD together while you travel. Listening to books on CD is great for your brain and their brains. Listening to stories increase imagination, vocabulary, brain power, attention span, and listening comprehension.

Your children may not always listen to you but if they listen to books on CD, they will improve their ability to listen to you when they choose to.

And if you listen to books on CD, you will improve your own listening comprehension skills.

Now if you have hearing loss, that is another matter.

Unfortunately, I cannot help you with that one.

The Letter "S"

2009-05-19T11:14:00.001-07:00

What does the letter s mean in English?

Ah, that is the problem!

It means many things.

Many students learn one thing about the letter s and then stop there.

That is a big mistake.

The letter s means many things, including:

1. Plural (more than one thing)

2. Possessive (something belongs to someone)

3. Contraction (two words pushed together into one shorter word)

4. Verb - third person singular (he - she - it)

Let's look at some examples:

1. Plural

The cats are on the couch.

The boys are running around outside on the grass.

2. Possessive (s with an apostrophe)

Marta's jacket is dark blue.

My mother's legs are slim.

3. Contraction (s with an apostrophe)

The cat's on the couch. (The cat is... )
The car's too old for such a long trip. (The car is... )

4. Verb

My cat Dice eats too much.
Sun Angel eats less than Dice.

Let's be brave and use s in many different ways.

My cat Dice is a little crazy. First of all, he eats too much. Secondly, he leaves his toys all over the floor. In general, the cats' toy mice can be found all over the house. We have two of them - cats, not mice. The love catnap, lying in the sun, and playing with toy mice. Dice likes to sleep in the special box my daughter made for him and Sun Angel likes to lie in the special basket my daughter made for her. Right now, Sun Angel's lying on my lap. Sun Angel's fur is silky soft and black as night. Dice's fur's black and white but the black is slowly becoming a kind of red. We may have to change his name soon. What's red and white and sweet and lazy? When I come up with an answer to that one, I'll have a Dice's new name.

Hey! Wait a minute!

What was that one: s' ?

What was that?

That was something horrible.

It was a plural possessive.

We put the apostrophe after the s when the plural noun is possessive.

What does that mean?

Do you have sisters?

Do they have dresses?

Are your sisters' dresses beautiful?

We could write sisters's dresses - but that would be too many s's!

And yes, I know! Another 's!

Sometimes, when something's plural, we have to add an apostrophe.

If we don't, it becomes very confusing.

ss - that just sounds like a snake, right?

So we write s's.

And then we understand we are talking about more than one s.

Let's just forget about that one for now,eh?

Keep your focus on the most important four -

plural

possessive

contraction

verb

and you'll do fine.

Super fine!

Phrases for Conflicts

2009-05-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

There are many phrases that are good for conflicts.

Here are some of them (and why):

Hmmm... I'm sorry... I don't understand.

Yes, I know. You're thinking, "This is not always an English problem!"

Yes, exactly.

Sometimes we don't understand because of language problems -

and sometimes we just don't understand!

Telling someone this can be very helpful. You make it very clear to them:

You have a problem: You don't understand them.

And since understanding the number one most important thing in communication and human relationships, this is a big problem!

I want to understand you. Can you explain that to me again?

Again, there could be a language problem or there could be a communication problem but no matter what, there is a problem. You don't understand - and you want to!

This last part is very important.

And it might seem obvious: Of course you want to understand them!

But think about it, how many times have you been trying to explain something to your boss, neighbor, the store cashier, your wife, your husband, your mother, your son, your sister-in-law, your child's teacher, your doctor, your teacher and you know... you just know... they don't understand you!... and it's so frustrating... you are trying to explain something... Hey! Are they even listening? Do they care? Does this person like me? Is this person a jerk? Should I hate this person?

It's a bad feeling, isn't it?

No one wants to feel this way. Everyone wants to feel like the other person understands them OR is trying to understand them.

So help people feel that way. Tell them you are trying to understand them. Tell them you want to understand them. Ask them to explain things again... maybe in a different way.

Okay... I think I understand - You think/want/like/know/need _____________.

This part is important, too. When you think you understand, tell them what you think they are saying. That way they will know for sure: you do or don't understand.

If you don't understand, they can try again.

Now... sometimes we understand the other person and they understand us... but we disagree.

What to do then?

First, make sure they understand your point of view:

Here's how I see it: ____________________.

After you tell them, you might want to add something like, "Does that make sense?"

Then they can tell you, "Yes, No, or Hell, No."

I hope they don't say the last one! If they do, you are in a lot of hot water!

And yes, I know, that was not "proper English."

That was a curse word.

Something Americans use a lot.

So I may as well include one now and then.

Am I telling you to curse?

No.

Now.

What if you have a conflict on your hands?

(What does on your hands mean?

It means you have this situation to deal with.)

Try:

Hmmmm.... I think we see things differently.

Right away, you're giving the other person the message:

You're not wrong, exactly. And I'm not wrong exactly. We don't need to crazy here and punch each other or throw grenades at each other. We see things differently. That's okay. We will live through this.

You might want to say

I'm thinking we see things differently?

What's the difference between "I think" and "I'm thinking"?

Yes, I know. One is present tense and one is present progressive (or continuous - why does English have to be so confusing?)

Present tense is strong. It's iron. Rock. A cast iron skillet. It could knock you out cold if it hit you on the back of your head. You're dead. Permanently. Permanence.

Progressive tense is soft. It's water. It's a stream washing over and through you and you're swimming, your arms are moving, your feet are kicking, your fins are waving, you've become a fish. Transformation. Change. Movement.

When we use the progressive tense, we always give a feeling of emotion or motion or movement or flexibility to whatever we're saying.

If "we're thinking," then we can change our minds.

If "we think," then we cannot. This is our opinion. It's not going to change. This is it.

Maybe it isn't going to change but we need to be smart. We need to be like a diplomat, an ambassador, someone who is helping to bring peace between two warring countries, people, families, hearts. So we use the progressive tense when we talk to people whose hearts are arms-crossed angry with us.

The progressive tense can roll like water under the door of a locked heart.

We think we are not listening but oops... here comes that progressive tense. It has gotten inside us.

And now we're changing our minds.

Sometimes we need a diplomat to step in between us and the other person.

Then we can say:

Hmmm.... I think we need a third opinion (or a third perspective).

Even if we don't have that third person, we are saying, "Okay, we have a conflict. We don't agree. But maybe a third person can help us. There is still hope."

Hope is important.

When there is no hope, there is no communication.

When there is no communication, there is no understanding.

When there is no understanding, the door closes.

And when doors close, bad things happen in our world.

We know the kind of stuff that happens.

Zillions and millions and jillions of people dying, going hungry, living in terrible conditions, watching their children die, watching their parents die, dying.

We don't want that to happen.

Right?

So work on the language - and the heart - you need for communication.

And visit http://www.thehungersite.com/ and http://www.kiva.org/ to help the living.

And wait until my next post when I'll try to write a little more about these conflict phrases.

And then, honestly, I have to take a break from this.

It's time to talk about something else.

Maybe iced coffee.

Iced coffee, I like that.

Do you like that? What refreshes you on a hot day?

What makes you feel refreshed, nurtured, loved, - understood?

How American Culture Deals With Conflict - Part Two

2009-05-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

Something else to toss into the mix:

(What does toss into the mix mean?

If you toss tomatoes into a salad, the salad is different now, right?
How about some avocado?
Dried cranberries? The kind you can buy at Trader Joe's?
A little Fuji apple, maybe?
Pepitas? Dry-roasted almonds, sliced thin-thin-thinly?
Grapes?!

Each ingredient adds something new and wonderful.)

I was talking with a friend and she noted:

American culture is okay with conflict in a public setting.

What does that mean?

Democracy. Arguing about how to vote on Propostion 8. Arguing about how to educate children. Arguing about who should be president, mayor, on the School Board, or head of the Police Deparment. Oprah Winfrey. Survivor. Jon and Kate Plus Eight. Rush Limbaugh and Big Eddie and Brangelina.

We love to watch conflict when it is someone else's conflict and we love to argue about things when we think we can decide things for everyone - because we are right and we know more than anyone else and everyone should vote the way we do.

When it is small and personal and around the dinner table and in the bedroom and between you and your mom or you and your husband or you and your son - well, that is sometimes different.

Sometimes that is painful and hard and tense and people don't really say what they think and feel or they say it in a bad way and people's feelings get hurt and people get mad and people say mean things or stop talking to each other or cry and run into the other room and refuse to visit that person again at Christmas time.

How about in between?

How about conflict at Walgreen's? How about conflict with your health insurance company? How about conflict with your doctor?

For those situations, I have some suggestions.

Soon.

How American Culture Deals With Conflict

2009-05-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, again... uh oh... maybe I can't talk about this one.

What do I really know?

Okay. I know a little bit.

I am an American.

I am an American who likes to ruminate.

What does ruminate mean?

It means chew your cud.

What does chew your cud mean?

Goats and cows and camels and other animals with more than one stomach eat their food and then they burp it up and chew it some more and then they swallow it down into a different stomach and then they burp it up again and chew it some more and then they swallow it down and you get the idea.

The food that they burp up and chew some more is called cud.

To ruminate on something is think on something deeply.

It's to think about it and then swallow it down and then burp it back up again and think on it some more.

Over and over until you have really gotten everything you can from that food.

I like to do that.

So... I am an American who likes to ruminate on things.

Things like how Americans deal with conflict.

And here's what I have figured out, so far:

(I say so far because you know I am going to keep ruminating on all this and I am going to keep getting new ideas and new insights and later I might say, "Hmmm... I was wrong about that... Now I think something else" or "Hmmm... I still think that that... And also this.")

1. There is how we do things and how we think we do things and how other people think we do things.

2. American culture is not as polite as it used to be.

3. But it is still polite. It still has rules. It has a lot of rules.

4. You will not find most of those rules in a book.

5. Many people from other places think the U.S. is very casual and not polite.

6. They are wrong.

7. Every culture on the planet has rules and every culture on the planet has a best way of getting what you want or need. We call that best way polite. Every culture has a different kind of polite.

8. The oldest, strongest roots of American culture and okay, this is just my opinion, are in England and West Africa.

(When I say American culture, I mean the culture of the United States, a place that started as the Thirteen Colonies and today is fifty states plus Puerto Rico and other places. A place and a culture that is very complicated. A place and a culture that is bigger than you and me. A place I am not trying to describe in a small, tight circle.)

9. The third, secret, root of American culture is in the Indigenous cultures of North America. These cultures were here and are here. These cultures made American culture different, right from the start, from African and European cultures. These cultures make it different now.

10. I am not going to talk about the roots of American culture a long time here. I don't know enough. I am just going to say you can see the English root, sometimes, in the way American culture decides what polite is.

11. You can also see that many American people think English people are too polite in an English kind of way but they also really like this. They like English polite and they don't like it. Sound familiar? Love-hate stuff. Complicated. We all have some love-hate stuff about something or someone. American culture has it about English culture. Mother-daughter stuff. You know how it is.

12. In American culture, I recommend polite but firm.

13. Polite is a secret weapon. It won't work on everyone but it will work on many people. Polite says, "I am following the rules. You must follow the rules, too. You must leave the gloves on. You must not be nasty. You must not hit me in the face." And it also says, "I respect you. You are a human being. I am a human being. We are same."

Of course, if we are polite only with our words and not our hearts, then people can feel that and maybe the polite way makes them a little bit angry. But... because we are following the rules, even if we don't feel love for the other person... it says, "I am following the rules. I am showing you respect. You must follow the rules, too."

14. Firm is easy to understand. American culture is a little strong. You know this. I know this. We are not tea. We are coffee. We are rock n' roll, democracy, invade your country, make a mess, make a riot, civil rights, stand up and be counted, help other people, jump up, speak out, hip hop, don't stop, shout about it, diverse, every religion, every ethnicity, every gender, every everybody that's us make it individual me. So you better be firm. Or be run over.

By the way, please don't think that I think other cultures are easy to run over. I do not. Every culture is strong in a different way. I am trying to talk about American strong. And Polite but firm is the best way here, in my opinion.

15. By polite, I mean polite - American style and I realize I haven't completely explained that. In another section I will give you some words and phrases that are polite - American style.

16. Saying you're sorry is very helpful. Okay, that one I could talk about for a long time so I think I will make a whole different section for it. But take it from me: Saying your sorry. A good thing.

Wow. I am exhausted.

I think that is all I know for now about how American culture deals with conflict except that it's complicated, I did not talk about everything and I did not mention denial.

What is denial?

It is not a river in Egypt.

That is an old joke!

Denial is when you know deep down in your gut that is something is true but your pretend in your mind that it is not. And then you act like it is not. But the whole time, deep down inside, you know it's true.

Denial and the love-hate thing go together in some way. But we're not going to talk about that here.

I am telling you, politely but firmly, we're not going to talk about that.

Thank you very much.

How to Deal with Conflict

2009-05-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

Uh oh!

I better stop here!

I do not have the answers for dealing with conflicts!

But here's what I know:

There are two kinds of conflict:

1. Conflicts where you need or want to have a good relationship with the person afterwards.
2. Conflicts where you don't need or want to have a good relationship later.

Maybe all conflicts should be in group number one.

I don't know.

I think on Planet Perfect, all conflicts are in group number one.

But here on Earth, we can put some in group number two.

Such as:

- Dealing with health insurance companies
- Dealing with car dealerships
- Dealing with restaurants
- Dealing with businesses of various kinds

Yes, of course, it is good to have a good relationship with people. But if you have a terrible experience at a restaurant, you can go to another restaurant. You do not need to go back to the bad restaurant. But maybe you do not want to pay for the terrible, terrible food at the bad restaurant. It is okay if the restaurant does not like you when you complain.

For group number one, where we need or want to keep a good relationship, we can put:

- Neighbors
- Family
- Friends
- Co-workers
- Bosses

If we don't maintain a good relationship with these people, our lives can be very difficult for us.

Why do we need to think about this?

Because we use different language with these different groups.

With everyone we can try to be polite.

With everyone we can try to be clear.

But if we must, we can take off the gloves with group number two.

What does take off the gloves mean?

It means get rough, get tough, get in the ring and fight!

So it is good, if we are trying to use English in a conflict in the US, to know what group we are dealing with.

When we know the group, we know what English to use.

About that, in a minute.

Conflict!

2009-05-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Conflict!

Oh! Terrible word!

Terrible feeling!

When I hear the word, conflict my stomach clenches up.

What does clench mean?

It means to grab, hold, tighten up, contract, bite down.

Many people - from all over the world - clench their teeth when they feel nervous and angry.

Conflicts make many people - from all over the world - feel nervous and angry.

So how to deal with conflicts in English in the United States?

Ah! That's a challenge!

To do that, we must:

1. Deal with conflict (maybe the hardest thing!)

2. Understand how American culture deals with conflict

3. Know and use good English words and phrases for conflict situations

I will try to write a bit about each of these things.

I will not try to tell you how to deal with conflict perfectly here, there, or anywhere.

Because I do not live on Planet Perfect and I do deal with conflict perfectly here, there, or anywhere!

By the way, conflict is both a noun AND a verb.

Ah! Crazy English! Do you feel conflicted about it?

Conflict is a noun.

Conflict is a verb.

The emphasis is on con in the noun and flict in the verb.

Con means against. Flict is from fligere - to strike.

Conflict = Strike Against.

What happens when you strike two things together?

Heat!

Fire!

How to Learn and Remember New Words When You Read Them in Books

2009-05-12T10:55:00.000-07:00

A student asks:

I have started reading books in English and I had read two books, The Nanny Diaries and The Namesake. I loved both of them and enjoyed alot. But to be honest with you there were lots of words that I didn't know the meaning and I didn't go to dictionary to look for them, so now I have a question, what should I do for the next book do i need to find the meaning of the words and try to remember them?

This is a good question!

And here's a terrible answer for you: I think there are many answers.

One of the secrets to learning anything is knowing your own learning style.

Everyone learns differently.

Some people remember words. They have strong left brains.
(Left brain - right hand)

Other people remember images, shapes, sounds, the music - not the lyrics! They have strong right brains.
(Right brain - left hand)

I am a very right-brained person. You might think I am a left-brained person because I like to write and I can talk a lot. Sometimes. But... I know... I really, really know... that I am right-brained. That is the first place everything happens for me. Then it comes out - like coffee out of a coffee maker - from my mouth or hands.

(Okay, I guess that sounds kind of horrible but I bet you will remember that. And do you want milk or sugar with it?)

For some people, the best way is to keep soaking in something.

Put a sponge in milk; let it sit there; pull it out; squeeze it; what do you have? Milk!
Put a sponge in orange juice; let it sit there; pull it out; squeeze it; what you have? Orange Juice!

For some people, the best way is just to keep reading or keep listening (to books on CD, the radio, tv, etc.) or keep reading and listening, and eventually, new vocabulary pours out of their mouth and hands.

This is how children learn. This is how you and I learned our first language. We did not study grammar books! We did not use dictionaries!

Other people are system people. They are good at putting things in groups. They enjoy putting things in groups. For system people, the best way might be to keep a notebook of new words. While you are reading, write down a word in your book if it is new. Maybe write down what you think it means. Sometimes you can guess what it means. This is called, "using context."

Context is what something is growing in.

If someone hits someone, that sounds bad, right?
But what is the context?
Maybe someone tries to hurt your child. They grab their arm and try to force them into a car. You hit them! You shout, "Get away!" You call 911. This is not so bad, right? You are a hero. You save your child.

The situation is the context.

Back to our system people.

Later, you could look up your new words. You could write down the definition. You could put them in groups. Nouns. Verbs. Crazy words that are too big to remember.

You could try to use them. Maybe one word a week.

Other people are hand people. I am a hand person. I need to use my hands.

When I studied Greek and Latin, I made beautiful study cards. I never really looked at them much after I made them. I didn't need to. Making the cards helped me. A lot. I wrote out information on my cards. I used beautiful pens. The ink flowed like water in a spring creek. I love a good pen! When I am careful, I have nice printing and handwriting. My study cards were beautiful. Nice words in nice writing on nice cards - pink and blue. I can still see them in my mind. I can remember sitting at the brown table with the pink and blue cards and my beautiful blue and black pens. And Nominative, Vocative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative, Ablative, I remember the colors, my hands, and the words.

Later, I would take a quick look at my cards. But mostly, like I said, I learned from making the cards. I needed to use my hands - to write, to copy, to draw, to color. Making makes me remember things.

I am using my hands now!

Some people are talkers. My daughter is a talker. When she shares about something, she remembers it. When she tells a story about it, she remembers it.

She is also a music person.

I don't understand: When she comes home from her piano lesson, she never looks at her music again. Why? I don't understand! She learns the new song with her teacher and then she does not look at the music again.

Why?

Because she can remember it!

How?

I don't know!

But sound is her secret. Sound is her magic. Speaking, talking, singing, hitting the keys on the piano, this is her secret bag of tricks.

So singing, speaking, playing new words - for some people this is the best way.

While you drive, while you wash the dishes, while you stand in the shower and the water runs over your head, you say the words, you sing the words, you speak the words -

Water, creek, river, rivulet, delta, tide, ocean, lake, pond, stream, lagoon, marsh, stream, flash floods of words wash over your brain and you remember.

Some of them.

Some of them is good.

Perfection is for other people on Planet Perfect but we don't live there.

Native speakers don't either.

Native speakers read books and don't understand every word.

When we worry, our brain locks up. A door closes. Our memory turns off.

Shut down!

Stop!

No more!

When we relax... when we say "I will learn some words, a few words, these words," our brain opens up. Our memory turns on. Our brain wakes up. It feels happy. It feels excited. It feels ready.

The pressure is off.

These are some ways.

There are other ways.

The biggest secret, the best secret is knowing your way.

What is your way?

Share it with us here.

Because - Because Of - What's the Difference?

2009-05-12T10:04:00.001-07:00

Because

Because of

What's the difference?

How about the word of?

And what kind of word is of?

It's a preposition!

What's a preposition? You know, one of those terrible words that drives you crazy because there are so many of them and they don't really follow the rules. They are like mercury. You try to pick them up and they slip - under, over, through, in, on, between - your fingers.

And what comes after a preposition?

Nouns and gerunds! Only! Only nouns and gerunds!

And what's a gerund? Another terrible thing. A verb + ing. But it's not really a verb. Not really. It's like someone wearing a mask.

Laughing
Dancing
Walking
Talking
Jumping
Leaping
Wearing a mask!

We use gerunds like nouns. We talk about activities. We talk about nouns.
We talk about cooking, baking, frying, simmering, boiling, peeling, tasting, eating fish, potatoes, chicken, asparagus, apples, bananas, yams, and bulbs of fennel.

Back to our question: What's the difference?

Here's an answer:

because of - must be followed by a noun or gerund.

because - can be followed by other things

And we know, right, that we use these words to explain things, to give answers, to tell why something is, to answer questions, to say this is the reason for blah blah blah.

Example:

Because of traffic, I was a little late for work this morning.
Because I did not leave early enough, I was a little late for work this morning.

Because of my mother, I know how to mend clothes.
Because my mother took the time to teach me, I can mend clothes and hem pants.

Because of my daughter, I had a wonderful Mother's Day.
Because my daughter wrote a beautiful poem for me and then took a bike ride with me along the water, I had a wonderful Mother's Day.

What are

I did not leave early enough
My mother took the time to teach me.
My daughter wrote a beautiful poem for me and then took a bike ride with me along the water?

They are clauses.

Does your brain feel like it is on fire?

Mine does.

I hate grammar words. I really do.

I love writing.

I kind of like grammar when I study another language. I like understanding how the puzzle pieces fit together.

But in general, for English, I hate grammar words. They make my head explode. Yes, really they do.

I try to explain grammar for people like me, people who don't like grammar, people who want to talk and write and sing and dance and communicate. And drink coffee. And relax. Maybe near a beach. But not think too much about grammar. Or our heads will explode.

So what is a clause?

Oh, I really I hate that word.

But a clause is a subject - that's a person, place, thing - you know, something you're talking about.

Plus a lot of other stuff. Mostly, it is information about something, someone, or some place.

You're saying something about something.

English is a crazy language. That's a clause.
Other languages are crazy, too. That's another clause.
People are interesting. People are crazy. People create languages and they change all the time because people change. People and languages are like mercury. Those are more clauses.

That's enough grammar.

My head is very, very close to exploding.

The next thing I will write about must be about something else - writing, communication, American culture.

If you want to practice because and because of, go to http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/220.html

Because of the Internet, you can learn a lot about English, grammar, and relaxing with coffee near beaches.

And mercury.

Got Questions?

2009-05-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Send them on!

Questions about grammar, writing, American culture - send them to me and I'll do my best to answer them here.

Post your question as a comment to a post or email me at eyeonenglish@gmail.com.

We're on a quest for understanding!

(Hey! What does quest mean?

It's a journey toward something. The crusaders went on a quest for the Holy Grail. Students go on a quest for knowlege. Many people spend their whole life on a quest for love.

Quest is also a computer game. This is not that kind of quest!)

How We See It

2009-05-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

In the previous post, I talked about an eagle's view of things.

How about a mouse? Does a mouse see the same view an eagle does?

How about an ant?

Do you remember when you were a child and had to ask for a glass for water? You couldn't reach the faucet. You had to look up to an adult and ask for a glass of water. You could see under the adult's chin. You could see their shoes better than you could see their ears.

That was your perspective and it was different from the adult's perspective.

The eagle sees the rabbit as dinner. The rabbit sees the eagle as death.

They both see the Grand Tetons as a good place to live.

My perspective of the United States and American culture is different from your perspective.

Who is right?

Who is wrong?

Many times, we say, "It's a matter of perspective."

It depends on how you see it, on your experience, on your relationship with who or what you see, and the location of you - and the location of who or what you see.

Any time you see "spect" in an English word, you know it means something to do with eyes and seeing.

Spectacle
Spectacles
Spectacular
Introspective
Introspection
Inspection
Inspector
Inspect

Native speakers don't have to think about this. Deep in their brain, when they see or hear "spect" they see or hear "eye" and "look." This helps them remember and understand big long words with "spect" in them.

Everyone wants to speak and write like a native speaker. It doesn't matter what language, we want to speak it like a native - fluently.

Is that possible?

Maybe not completely.

We will never have the perspective or the experience of a native speaker.

Maybe we don't want to! Maybe second-language speakers have something special that is good, too. A different perspective on English. Different - not wrong.

Joseph Conrad was a Polish man. English was his third language and he did not learn it when he was very young. He is famous because of the novels he wrote in English. With a different perspective, he wrote beautifully in English that was a little different from the English writing of that time.

(His most famous novel is "Heart of Darkness" which is the basis of the movie "Apocalypse Now."

He kept his perspective. He polished his English.

You can do the same.

Getting a feel for the chunks of sound like "spect" will help you speak and write more freely.

You'll be operating from your gut (your stomach), expressing what you think and how you feel, instead of stoppppp -ppppping to think: What is the right word? What do I do now? How do I SAY that?

Big words in English all have these "chunks" in them. They are like bones in a good soup. They are what make the broth, give the soup its flavor and cause you to say,"Oh! This is CHICKEN soup! Or FISH soup! Or BEEF soup!" You can taste the difference, right? Beef does not taste like chicken. Shrimp does not taste like pork.

Eagle does not taste like rabbit.

Of course, I don't know what eagle tastes likes.

And I haven't tasted rabbit since 1971.

But I can guess they taste pretty different.

What do you think?

How do you see it?

What's your perspective on rabbits, soup, English, and learning a second language well?

What's That Mean, Anyway?

2009-05-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

An Eagle's Eye View on English, American Culture, & Writing

What the heck does that mean?

Let's start with "Eagle's eye view."

Eagles are big birds, right? Big strong birds that fly high, high in the sky. From way, way up in the sky they look way, way down below - at the trees, the rivers, the meadows, and hills - and then they swoop down onto their prey.

(What is prey? Something a predator eats. Lions eat deer. Cats eat mice. Eagles eat fish and snakes and mammals. They are excellent hunters and feed their families very well.)

When they are way, way up in the sky, they can see a lot. They have an eagle's eye view. And because they have very good vision they can see both the big picture and the little details.

When we say someone is "eagle-eyed," we mean they see can very well. They have sharp eyes. They look deeply into things.

We use "eagle's eye view" when we want to talk about understanding a lot about something, trying to see it from a different angle, trying to see it as part of something bigger.

If your family has a big, big problem, it is a big, big help if you can take an eagle's eye view on this situation so you can come up with some good solutions. Often, taking an eagle's eye view helps you find solutions to problems.

Now that we know what an eagle's eye view means, let's look at that phrase again.

An eagle's eye view on English, American culture, & writing.

View on -

what's the difference between view on and view of?

When I look out my front window, I have a view of my neighbor's house. If I look out my bedroom window, I have a view of the ships moving slowly on the bay. I can see the sunlight sparkling on the water and when the sun sets, I can watch the water turn the color of night.

What is my view on the view of the bay? I like this! I like it very much!

A view of something is what we can see.

A view on something is our opinion about it.

So an eagle's eye view on something is... well, it's a crazy idea, really... it's both what the person sees and their opinion of it.

In this case, it's my thoughts and opinions about English, American culture, and writing.

I am an American. I am a writer. I am a teacher.

I am an American who teaches English and writing to immigrants.

And my last name starts with the word "Eagle."

So there you have it.

Eye on English is my view on English, American culture, and writing and I hope my view helps you solve a few problems and catch a few fish.