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Between American English and British English

2009-06-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

While there are certainly many more varieties of English, American and British English are the two varieties that are taught in most ESL/EFL programs. Generally, it is agreed that no one version is "correct" however, there are certainly preferences in use. The most important rule of thumb is to try to be consistent in your usage. If you decide that you want to use American English spellings then be consistent in your spelling (i.e. The color of the orange is also its flavour - color is American spelling and flavour is British), this is of course not always easy - or possible. The following guide is meant to point out the principal differences between these two varieties of English.

Use of the Present Perfect

In British English the present perfect is used to express an action that has occurred in the recent past that has an effect on the present moment. For example:
I've lost my key. Can you help me look for it?In American English the following is also possible :

I lost my key. Can you help me look for it?

In British English the above would be considered incorrect. However, both forms are generally accepted in standard American English. Other differences involving the use of the present perfect in British English and simple past in American English include already, just and yet.

British English:
I've just had lunchI've already seen that filmHave you finished your homework yet?

American English:
I just had lunch OR I've just had lunchI've already seen that film OR I already saw that film.Have your finished your homework yet? OR Did you finish your homework yet?

Possession

There are two forms to express possession in English. Have or Have got
Do you have a car?Have you got a car?He hasn't got any friends.He doesn't have any friends.She has a beautiful new home.She's got a beautiful new home.
While both forms are correct (and accepted in both British and American English), have got (have you got, he hasn't got, etc.) is generally the preferred form in British English while most speakers of American English employ the have (do you have, he doesn't have etc.)

The Verb Get

The past participle of the verb get is gotten in American English.

Example He's gotten much better at playing tennis.

British English - He's got much better at playing tennis.

Vocabulary

Probably the major differences between British and American English lies in the choice of vocabulary. Some words mean different things in the two varieties for example:
Mean: (American English - angry, bad humored, British English - not generous, tight fisted)
Rubber: (American English - condom, British English - tool used to erase pencil markings)

There are many more examples (too many for me to list here). If there is a difference in usage, your dictionary will note the different meanings in its definition of the term. Many vocabulary items are also used in one form and not in the other. One of the best examples of this is the terminology used for automobiles.

American English - hood
British English - bonnet
American English - trunk

British English - boot
American English - truck

British English - lorry

Once again, your dictionary should list whether the term is used in British English or American English.

Prepositions

There are also a few differences in preposition use including the following:

American English - on the weekend

British English - at the weekend
American English - on a team

British English - in a team
American English - please write me soon

British English - please write to me soon

Past Simple/Past Participles

The following verbs have two acceptable forms of the past simple/past participle in both American and British English, however, the irregular form is generally more common in British English (the first form of the two) and the regular form is more common to American English.

Burn,Burnt OR burned
Dream,dreamt OR dreamed
Lean,leant OR leaned
Learn,learnt OR learned
Smell,smelt OR smelled
Spell,spelt OR spelled
Spill,spilt OR spilled
Spoil,spoilt OR spoiled

Spelling

Here are some general differences between British and American spellings:
Words ending in -or (American) -our (British) color, colour, humor, humour, flavor, flavour etc.

Words ending in -ize (American) -ise (British) recognize, recognise, patronize, patronise etc.

The best way to make sure that you are being consistent in your spelling is to use the spell check on your word processor (if you are using the computer of course) and choose which variety of English you would like. As you can see, there are really very few differences between standard British English and standard American English.

However, the largest difference is probably that of the choice of vocabulary and pronunciation.

Using Blogs to Enhance Students Competency in Acquiring English Language

2009-06-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

Blogs are widely popular in education as well as in acquiring students ability with English language. As evidenced by the 400 thousand educational blogs hosted by edublogs. Teachers also have been using them to support teaching and learning since 2005. Through years of practice, a common understanding has formed around the benefits of the use of blogs in education and also in enhancing students competency in English language.Because blogs are connected, they can foster the development of a learning community. Authors can share opinions with each other and support each other with commentary and answers to questions. For example, the University of Calgary uses blogs to create learning communities.Additionally, blogs give students ownership over their own learning and an authentic voice, allowing them to articulate their needs and inform their own learning. Blogs have been shown to contribute to identity-formation in students. (Bortree, D.S., 2005). Further, blogging gives students a genuine and potentially worldwide audience for their work. Having such an audience can result in feedback and and greatly increase student motivation to do their best work. Students also have each other as their potential audience, enabling each of them to take on a leadership role at different times through the course of their learning.Moreover, blogging helps students see their work in different subjects as interconnected and helps them organize their own learning. Working with the teacher and informed by blogs authored by experts in the field, students can conduct a collective enquiry into a particular topic or subject matter creating their own interpretation of the material.Blogs teach a variety of skills in addition to the particular subject under discussion. Regular blogging fosters the development of writing and research skills. Blogging also supports digital literacy as the student learns to critically assess and evaluate various online resources.Undoubtly, using blogs for students gives them a lot of advantages. They can improve their English by getting feedback from the viewers. Furthermore, they also can make a lot of friends by blog as well as enhancing their knowledge in English language.

Movie that i LOVED most_SWAT

2009-06-10T01:19:00.000-07:00

Another summer action movie which stars Collin Ferrel, Samual L. Jackson, Michelle Rodriguez, and a few other recognizable actors. The movie centers on Ferrel, who plays an ex-navy seal by the name of Street. He is pretty much the quiet character with the skills to make it in SWAT, but his chief hates him and assigns him to desk duty early on. That all changes when Jackson, who plays the old style SWAT captain returns to lead a new squad. Street along with five other officers become the new squad and they are handed a tough assignment to escort an international crime lord, and this is where the action starts.

SWAT does something that most other films don’t do, it actually shows you some cops doing their job with a little action thrown in of course. There are no big heroes like in most other films, most of the time Ferrel plays such a quiet tough guy, you start to realize this is how most heroes are suppose to be, pretty quiet about their jobs. Ferrel also shows his father’s side when he playing with the kids at the birthday party. The gun shots, bombs and the sound effect really sounds real. For me, the unforgettable scene in this awesome movie is when the airplane have to landed on the streets. I have never seen that kind of scene in any other movie. SWAT is a great movie during that year.

Sound wise, the film sounded good, and the soundtrack which is a mix of the usual techno, grunge, rock was okay and catchy as well. Visuals were crisp and sharp and colorful.

Ferrel looks really tough in this movie. Like it so much. Never get bored of this movie.

Menunggumu by PterPan feat Chrisye

2009-06-10T00:47:00.000-07:00

Didalam sebuah cinta..

terdapat bahasa

Yang mengalun indah...

mengisi jiwa

merindukan kisah...

kita berdua

Yang tak pernah bisa akan terlupa

Bila Rindu ini..

masih milikmu

Kuhadirkan sebuah..

tanya untukmu

Harus brapa lama..

aku menunggumu..

aku menunggumu...

Didalam masa indah...

saat bersamamu

Yang tak pernah bisa...

akan terlupa

Pandangan matanya

menghancurkan jiwa

Dengan segenap cinta...

aku bertanya

Bila Rindu ini..

masih milikmu

Kuhadirkan sebuah..

tanya untukmu

Harus brapa lama..

aku menunggumu..
aku menunggumu

My opinion:

This song is about a person who waiting for someone that he/she loved come to confess

their feeling to them

But at the meantime....he/she have to wait

Untill the days come

It is not good to let your admirer waiting for you for a long period

you should give the answer to him/her

even the answer is might gonna hurt him/her

so.... he/she can fall in love to other person

and not blindly or foolishly JUST waiting for you...

Addicted by Kelly Clarkson

2009-06-10T00:18:00.000-07:00

It's like you're a drug

It's like you're a demon I can't face down

It's like I'm stuck

It's like I'm running from you all the time

And I know I let you have all the power

It's like the only company I seek is misery all around

It's like you're a leech

Sucking the life from me

It's like I can't breathe

Without you inside of me

And I know I let you have all the power

And I realize I'm never gonna quit you over time

It's like I can't breathe

It's like I can't see anything

Nothing but you

I'm addicted to you

It's like I can't think

Without you interrupting me

In my thoughts, in my dreams

You've taken over me

It's like I'm not me

It's like I'm lost

It's like I'm giving up slowly

It's like you're a ghost that's haunting me

Leave me alone

And I know these voices in my head are mine alone

And I know I'll never change my ways

If I don't give you up now

It's like I can't breathe

It's like I can't see anything

Nothing but you

I'm addicted to you

It's like I can't think

Without you interrupting me

In my thoughts, in my dreams

You've taken over me

It's like I'm not me

I'm hooked on you

I need a fix

I can't take it

Just one more hit

I promise

I can deal with it

I'll handle it, quit it

Just one more time, then that's it

Just a little bit more to get me through this [2x]

It's like I can't breathe

It's like I can't see anything

Nothing but you

I'm addicted to you

It's like I can't think

Without you interrupting me

In my thoughts, in my dreams

You've taken over me

It's like I'm not me

My opinion:

I really like this song because it really resembles me a lot about my first love story. For me, this song really suits me well.
This song is about a girl who cannot live for a day...cannot make any decision and etc without thinking about the guy that she loved. Honestly this song is very catchy and a bit sad. Kelly's voice/vocal is really amazing in this song. Hope that you enjoy figuring ang understand the meaning behind the lyrics.

Alcoholism

2009-06-10T00:05:00.000-07:00

What is alcoholism?
Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms:
Craving—A strong need, or urge, to drink.
Loss of control—Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun.
Physical dependence—Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking.
Tolerance—The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get "high."
For clinical and research purposes, formal diagnostic criteria for alcoholism also have been developed. Such criteria are included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association, as well as in the International Classification Diseases, published by the World Health Organization.
Is alcoholism a disease?
Yes, alcoholism is a disease. The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be as strong as the need for food or water. An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems.
Like many other diseases, alcoholism is chronic, meaning that it lasts a person's lifetime; it usually follows a predictable course; and it has symptoms. The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced both by a person's genes and by his or her lifestyle.
Is alcoholism inherited?Research shows that the risk for developing alcoholism does indeed run in families. The genes a person inherits partially explain this pattern, but lifestyle is also a factor. Currently, researchers are working to discover the actual genes that put people at risk for alcoholism. Your friends, the amount of stress in your life, and how readily available alcohol is also are factors that may increase your risk for alcoholism.
But remember: Risk is not destiny. Just because alcoholism tends to run in families doesn't mean that a child of an alcoholic parent will automatically become an alcoholic too. Some people develop alcoholism even though no one in their family has a drinking problem. By the same token, not all children of alcoholic families get into trouble with alcohol. Knowing you are at risk is important, though, because then you can take steps to protect yourself from developing problems with alcohol.

Can alcoholism be cured?

No, alcoholism cannot be cured at this time. Even if an alcoholic hasn't been drinking for a long time, he or she can still suffer a relapse. Not drinking is the safest course for most people with alcoholism.

Can alcoholism be treated?

Yes, alcoholism can be treated. Alcoholism treatment programs use both counseling and medications to help a person stop drinking. Treatment has helped many people stop drinking and rebuild their lives.

Malaysian drowns at US park

2009-06-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK: Malaysian student Nublan Zaki Norhadi had been looking forward to flying home to join his family in Kuala Lumpur this week and meeting up with friends during his three-month summer break.
Sadly, it will not happen. The Pennsylvania State University freshman drowned in a pool at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Sunday.
His body was flown to Kuala Lumpur at 10pm last night on the same MAS flight in which he had booked his ticket home.
The 20-year-old Mara scholar, affectionately known as Bulan to his friends, had left his university last Friday on a road tour with about 30 university mates.
They arrived at the park on Sunday evening and he was reported missing at around 7.30pm.
His body was found some 10m underwater at Abrams Fall by divers from the Special Operations Response Team at about 1.30pm on Monday, following a three-hour rescue operation.
Both the Malaysian Mission here and his parents in Kuala Lumpur were notified of his death on the same day.
A Mara official in Washington made arrangements for his body to be sent from Blount Memorial Hospital, Maryville, to Newark, New Jersey, yesterday from where he was flown home.
Since Monday, Nublan’s FaceBook has been flooded with condolence messages from fellow students in the US and other countries as well as friends from Malaysia.
A Park official, Bob Miller, told the The Daily Times (of Maryville, Tennessee) that while swimming was not banned at the falls, there was a sign warning of the strong current and hazards there.
“It would have taken a strong swimmer to get out of the currents and the other students said Norhadi was not a strong swimmer,” Miller was quoted as saying.