The Savvy Networker
10 Phrases That Can Sink Your Resume
by Liz Ryan
If you're job-hunting today, you know that employers are looking for sharp, self-motivated people. Paradoxically, just about the worst way to convey your talent and motivation is to say in your resume or cover letter, "I'm self-motivated." Anyone can say that! The phrase falls flat.
You can't afford to let done-to-death boilerplate language sink your resume like a boat anchor.
Resume cliches like "self-motivated individual" and "results-oriented professional" are out of date in 2010. You can do a better job of letting hiring managers know how you solve problems on-the-fly or leap over tall buildings in a single bound.
Here are ten of the deadliest resume phrases in use ("massive overuse" would be more accurate) and replacements for each one. You'll rewrite the replacement phrases to reflect your own accomplishments--and that's the key! We can't expect a timeworn piece of resume boilerplate to stand in for our own pithy, personal examples.
Kill this: Results-oriented professional
Replace with your own version of this: I love to solve thorny supply-chain problems
Kill this: Excellent team player
Replace with your own version of this: At Acme Dynamite, I partnered with Engineering to cut our product cost in half
Kill this: Bottom-line orientation
Replace with your own version of this: My accounting-process overhaul saved the company $10M in its first year
Kill this: Superior communication skills
Replace with your own version of this: I led a two-day offsite that yielded our 2010 product lineup and a $40K cost savings
Kill this: Possess organizational skills
Replace with your own version of this: Reduced customer-complaint resolution time from three weeks to one by revamping the process
Kill this: Savvy business professional
Replace with your own version of this: I'm a PR manager who's gotten his employers covered by Yahoo! and Time magazine
Kill this: Strong work ethic
Replace with your own version of this: I taught myself HTML over a weekend in order to grab a marketing opportunity
Kill this: Meets or exceeds expectations
Replace with your own version of this: Invited to join our executive staff at a strategy summit during my first year at the company
Kill this: Strong presentation skills
Replace with your own version of this: Was recruited to join Acme Dynamite after my boss heard me speak at a conference
Kill this: Seeking a challenging opportunity
Replace with your own version of this: I'm looking for a midsize manufacturer primed to grow its business in the Pacific Rim
Get the boilerplate lead out of your resume today, and replace it with concrete, visual stories that bring your power to life. Watch employers respond! You can't afford to send out another lifeless, sounds-like-everyone-else resume. Employers want the real you on the page. Try it!
--Liz Ryan is a 25-year HR veteran, a former Fortune 500 VP, and an internationally recognized expert on careers and the new-millennium workplace.
Source: http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-experts-10_phrases_that_can_sink_your_resume-115
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Morning Walk
Morning Walk
There are many things in life that require one’s undivided attention, which we seem to completely ignore. A great walk in the morning is one of these.
Ordinarily, in today’s hectic world, its quite possible that amidst so much that’s happening around you, making you feel that an ideal life is but a living dream, (which may remain as one), you tend to lose out on great many things that the future holds for you. A great walk in the woods while admiring nature talks to you in many ways than one. For many of us this may be one of those things for which you either need luck or perhaps the time. And most of us believe that these are never in one’s grasp.There are many ways you could possibly benefit from an exercise as simple as morning walk. Up front, in today’s irritatingly fast world, you deprive your self of the much needed oxygen, that is anyways getting depleted with time. The earliest hours in the morning would probably give you this and the quality time to spend with the greenery around you, and observe around you things that only perhaps writers and poets around you seem to notice.The oxygen that you get earliest in the morning also gives great amount of energy especially to your joints. The movement in your legs releases the good cholesterol in your blood, opening up some of the "chakras" or channels of energy, constantly moving your joints and increasing your blood circulation in a way that can only be completed with your daily morning walk.
Benefits of a great stroll
Besides a lot of things put together, a lot of people have noticed that despite the universally addictive feeling of laziness to leave their cosy bed, realize that a stroll helps in reducing stress. The wintry air in the morning that is at its coolest, soothes your nerves and allows your toxins to get cleared.A naturally available medicine, your morning walk also allows you to get rid of any gastric blockages that might not allow you to get a sound sleep, and also adding to the excesses of pain to your body. Most diabetics have noticed a remarkable decline in their blood sugar levels, thanks to their regular promenades, especially the one taken earliest in the morning.A boon to those who thanks to their heredity are blessed with diabetes, the morning walk is supposed to be the best option only next to their insulin injections. By and large these people who have to make the insulin injections their best friend have noticed that regular walks in the morning can also let them bid farewell to these forever! If you don’t believe me, just try it once for at least a month, I can guarantee you that you shall observe a marked difference in your entire lifestyle.Its true that the things that work best in this world are expensive, and it cannot be more true than in the case of getting up early. What’s really the additional benefit is that morning walks are most of the time responsible for inducing great sleep. Titillating the pituitary gland, the oxygen which is best given to us by our green friends, (plants) the entire bodily system is revitalized helping the skin glow at its maximum. The facial muscles are royally treated with the windy atmosphere, lowering your blood pressure and helping you deal with a normalcy that you thought medicines would allow you to! Well, let me tell you that you thought wrong! And if you’ve already had a good walk in the morning, your cardio vascular exercise is completed and your body has completed its full circle, making you look at life rather differently and bringing in some harmony too!
Walk and the Woman
Most women complained of the excessive work that bogs them down and also that for at least four to five days in a month when they are going through their menstrual cycle, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to cope up with this routine. For them my advise to them is that you could include a special diet of bananas in your diet earliest in the morning for breakfast. Corn flakes and bananas are known to be the killers of PMS. Once the initial depression that menstruation brings in is battled, you can be sure that your walk may not be all that stressful, instead you can take it as a good stroll in the morning, making you enjoy your days and relieve you of the unnecessary hassles of being a woman! Think about it! Some food for thought!
Source: http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/12-5-2004-62538.asp
There are many things in life that require one’s undivided attention, which we seem to completely ignore. A great walk in the morning is one of these.
Ordinarily, in today’s hectic world, its quite possible that amidst so much that’s happening around you, making you feel that an ideal life is but a living dream, (which may remain as one), you tend to lose out on great many things that the future holds for you. A great walk in the woods while admiring nature talks to you in many ways than one. For many of us this may be one of those things for which you either need luck or perhaps the time. And most of us believe that these are never in one’s grasp.There are many ways you could possibly benefit from an exercise as simple as morning walk. Up front, in today’s irritatingly fast world, you deprive your self of the much needed oxygen, that is anyways getting depleted with time. The earliest hours in the morning would probably give you this and the quality time to spend with the greenery around you, and observe around you things that only perhaps writers and poets around you seem to notice.The oxygen that you get earliest in the morning also gives great amount of energy especially to your joints. The movement in your legs releases the good cholesterol in your blood, opening up some of the "chakras" or channels of energy, constantly moving your joints and increasing your blood circulation in a way that can only be completed with your daily morning walk.
Benefits of a great stroll
Besides a lot of things put together, a lot of people have noticed that despite the universally addictive feeling of laziness to leave their cosy bed, realize that a stroll helps in reducing stress. The wintry air in the morning that is at its coolest, soothes your nerves and allows your toxins to get cleared.A naturally available medicine, your morning walk also allows you to get rid of any gastric blockages that might not allow you to get a sound sleep, and also adding to the excesses of pain to your body. Most diabetics have noticed a remarkable decline in their blood sugar levels, thanks to their regular promenades, especially the one taken earliest in the morning.A boon to those who thanks to their heredity are blessed with diabetes, the morning walk is supposed to be the best option only next to their insulin injections. By and large these people who have to make the insulin injections their best friend have noticed that regular walks in the morning can also let them bid farewell to these forever! If you don’t believe me, just try it once for at least a month, I can guarantee you that you shall observe a marked difference in your entire lifestyle.Its true that the things that work best in this world are expensive, and it cannot be more true than in the case of getting up early. What’s really the additional benefit is that morning walks are most of the time responsible for inducing great sleep. Titillating the pituitary gland, the oxygen which is best given to us by our green friends, (plants) the entire bodily system is revitalized helping the skin glow at its maximum. The facial muscles are royally treated with the windy atmosphere, lowering your blood pressure and helping you deal with a normalcy that you thought medicines would allow you to! Well, let me tell you that you thought wrong! And if you’ve already had a good walk in the morning, your cardio vascular exercise is completed and your body has completed its full circle, making you look at life rather differently and bringing in some harmony too!
Walk and the Woman
Most women complained of the excessive work that bogs them down and also that for at least four to five days in a month when they are going through their menstrual cycle, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to cope up with this routine. For them my advise to them is that you could include a special diet of bananas in your diet earliest in the morning for breakfast. Corn flakes and bananas are known to be the killers of PMS. Once the initial depression that menstruation brings in is battled, you can be sure that your walk may not be all that stressful, instead you can take it as a good stroll in the morning, making you enjoy your days and relieve you of the unnecessary hassles of being a woman! Think about it! Some food for thought!
Source: http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/12-5-2004-62538.asp
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Basant Festival
Bassant
With the advent of spring Basant Festival is celebrated with pomp and show in mid February every year in Lahore. In other words this is the spring festival. Alleging that kite flying is a Hindu event is also sheer ignorance. The sport originated in China about 5000 years ago, when Hinduism was in non existent. Why single out kite-flying then, especially when it is a source of joy for the old and the young men and women? The simple reason is that Hindu at Basant Festival fly kites for enjoying Basant. With times Muslims who were living together with Hindus in the sub-continent also join them in kite-flying. Since then Muslims are taking participation in just kite-flying at the time of Basant connotating it as Pala Urant. Now a days people of Lahore enjoy it by kite flying competition and by visiting the shrine of saint Madho Lal Hussein, where they assemble to pay their benediction. Lahore is becoming the main focal point for the celebration of this festival in Pakistan. People traditionally fly kites on the roofs of their buildings. It is commonly observed that rest houses, hotels and house of relatives of the participants are fully packed with guests from all over the country. Moreover some five star hotels also arrange this function on their roof top for foreigners and other high class gentry. They also arrange variety of dishes with musical concert. Sometimes Lahorities on this occasion become emotional and in this state create law and order problems for the administration. Some of them use metal thread for kite-flying. Their such a deed oftenly imposes, besides life threat, a serious problem for WAPDA when the thread touches the live wires. Inspite of the fact Basant Festival which has no links with the Muslim culture is becoming very popular and being celebrated in Lahore regularly every year with zeal and fervent.
Source: http://www.travel-culture.com/festivals.shtml
Don't spill blood on Basant festival
LAHORE - Basant or kite-flying is a spring festival, which adds colours in the sky and on the faces of the people. It makes people happy and brings them out from their daily hectic routine. But excess of everything is bad as violation of rules while celebrating any festival spoils its pleasure. Violation of rules and regulations turn this auspicious occasion into mourning when people play with innocent lives by using chemical thread to add their joys. Basant across Pakistan and particularly in Lahore could be described as a mega festival in the past, however, now the situation has changed remarkably. The biggest festival of all it was the centre of attention for people of all ages, young and old. Basant alone was grandeur than any other festival celebrated in the country. But after the Supreme Court took note of massive killing of the innocent citizens from this sport, the people began to accept it a hazardous game. The government particularly the Provincial Government of Punjab has imposed complete ban on the manufacturing of strings and kites-flying. This however has irked a section of die-hard kite-flyers who are ready to take every risk in order to celebrate Basant. They feel it a way to relax themselves from all the worries and anxieties of the day. These Basant lovers wait whole year for advent of spring as kite flying manifolds their joys of the seasons. They feel disappointed by the decision of the Punjab Government however a large number of people feel comfortable without Basant celebrations. Talking to The Nation, Mrs Salman, a housewife said that Basant should be celebrated in the country without violating the rules. She further said that Pakistan was going through certain security and political crisis and such festivals bring smiles on the faces of the public and bring them out from the tense atmosphere. Mrs Raheela Shakeel said Basant is a cultural activity, which gathered people and give them a chance to have fun with one another.
Source: http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Regional/Lahore/18-Feb-2010/Dont-spill-blood-on-Basant-festival
With the advent of spring Basant Festival is celebrated with pomp and show in mid February every year in Lahore. In other words this is the spring festival. Alleging that kite flying is a Hindu event is also sheer ignorance. The sport originated in China about 5000 years ago, when Hinduism was in non existent. Why single out kite-flying then, especially when it is a source of joy for the old and the young men and women? The simple reason is that Hindu at Basant Festival fly kites for enjoying Basant. With times Muslims who were living together with Hindus in the sub-continent also join them in kite-flying. Since then Muslims are taking participation in just kite-flying at the time of Basant connotating it as Pala Urant. Now a days people of Lahore enjoy it by kite flying competition and by visiting the shrine of saint Madho Lal Hussein, where they assemble to pay their benediction. Lahore is becoming the main focal point for the celebration of this festival in Pakistan. People traditionally fly kites on the roofs of their buildings. It is commonly observed that rest houses, hotels and house of relatives of the participants are fully packed with guests from all over the country. Moreover some five star hotels also arrange this function on their roof top for foreigners and other high class gentry. They also arrange variety of dishes with musical concert. Sometimes Lahorities on this occasion become emotional and in this state create law and order problems for the administration. Some of them use metal thread for kite-flying. Their such a deed oftenly imposes, besides life threat, a serious problem for WAPDA when the thread touches the live wires. Inspite of the fact Basant Festival which has no links with the Muslim culture is becoming very popular and being celebrated in Lahore regularly every year with zeal and fervent.
Source: http://www.travel-culture.com/festivals.shtml
Don't spill blood on Basant festival
LAHORE - Basant or kite-flying is a spring festival, which adds colours in the sky and on the faces of the people. It makes people happy and brings them out from their daily hectic routine. But excess of everything is bad as violation of rules while celebrating any festival spoils its pleasure. Violation of rules and regulations turn this auspicious occasion into mourning when people play with innocent lives by using chemical thread to add their joys. Basant across Pakistan and particularly in Lahore could be described as a mega festival in the past, however, now the situation has changed remarkably. The biggest festival of all it was the centre of attention for people of all ages, young and old. Basant alone was grandeur than any other festival celebrated in the country. But after the Supreme Court took note of massive killing of the innocent citizens from this sport, the people began to accept it a hazardous game. The government particularly the Provincial Government of Punjab has imposed complete ban on the manufacturing of strings and kites-flying. This however has irked a section of die-hard kite-flyers who are ready to take every risk in order to celebrate Basant. They feel it a way to relax themselves from all the worries and anxieties of the day. These Basant lovers wait whole year for advent of spring as kite flying manifolds their joys of the seasons. They feel disappointed by the decision of the Punjab Government however a large number of people feel comfortable without Basant celebrations. Talking to The Nation, Mrs Salman, a housewife said that Basant should be celebrated in the country without violating the rules. She further said that Pakistan was going through certain security and political crisis and such festivals bring smiles on the faces of the public and bring them out from the tense atmosphere. Mrs Raheela Shakeel said Basant is a cultural activity, which gathered people and give them a chance to have fun with one another.
Source: http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Regional/Lahore/18-Feb-2010/Dont-spill-blood-on-Basant-festival
Learning new words
Vocabulary and reading skill
A student from China asks:The main problems, I feel, are vocabulary and passage reading. How to enlarge my vocabulary and reading skill? Is it necessary to learn a lexicon and read many books printed in UK or US?
Roger replies:
I wouldn’t try to learn a lexicon by heart because our own internal mental lexicons do not work like that, but it is undoubtedly very useful to work with monolingual dictionaries and thesauruses for guidance on:
pronunciation/word stress: (‘photo’, ‘photography’, ‘photographic’)
definitions: there are different types e.g. full sentence. Some use a controlled vocabulary to define words
lexical sets: families of words which fit together synonyms and antonyms:
words which mean the same or the opposite
The more you read, the more you will extend your vocabulary and develop your reading skills. Wherever possible, choose books or articles or extracts which are of interest to you, ones that motivate you and encourage you to read on. Make sure they are at your level, or only marginally above your level, neither too difficult nor too easy.
Rather than working with word lists, I think it is usually best to encounter new words in context. Then you will see how they are used and how you can use them yourself. As you come across new words in context, there is a very good chance that you will be able to guess their meaning. Let’s suppose for a moment that you have not come across the verb oversleep before. It’s highly likely that you’d be able to work out its meaning from this sentence:
‘I overslept this morning. I usually wake up at seven, but this morning I didn’t wake up till nine.’
If you are in doubt about the meaning of new words from the context in which they are set, you can always use a dictionary as a back-up to see if your guess was right.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv5.shtml
A student from China asks:The main problems, I feel, are vocabulary and passage reading. How to enlarge my vocabulary and reading skill? Is it necessary to learn a lexicon and read many books printed in UK or US?
Roger replies:
I wouldn’t try to learn a lexicon by heart because our own internal mental lexicons do not work like that, but it is undoubtedly very useful to work with monolingual dictionaries and thesauruses for guidance on:
pronunciation/word stress: (‘photo’, ‘photography’, ‘photographic’)
definitions: there are different types e.g. full sentence. Some use a controlled vocabulary to define words
lexical sets: families of words which fit together synonyms and antonyms:
words which mean the same or the opposite
The more you read, the more you will extend your vocabulary and develop your reading skills. Wherever possible, choose books or articles or extracts which are of interest to you, ones that motivate you and encourage you to read on. Make sure they are at your level, or only marginally above your level, neither too difficult nor too easy.
Rather than working with word lists, I think it is usually best to encounter new words in context. Then you will see how they are used and how you can use them yourself. As you come across new words in context, there is a very good chance that you will be able to guess their meaning. Let’s suppose for a moment that you have not come across the verb oversleep before. It’s highly likely that you’d be able to work out its meaning from this sentence:
‘I overslept this morning. I usually wake up at seven, but this morning I didn’t wake up till nine.’
If you are in doubt about the meaning of new words from the context in which they are set, you can always use a dictionary as a back-up to see if your guess was right.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv5.shtml
Improving your listening skills
A question from Margarida Dourado in Brazil:
My problem is listening and understanding what people say when they are talking. Could you give me some tips to improve my listening skills? Thanks a lot.
Thanks for writing in Margarida, I think this is a question that a lot of students will be interested in. In my opinion, listening is one of the hardest skills to develop when learning a language. It can be very exhausting trying to understand someone talking in a language that is not your own, not to mention having to understand all the different accents that a language may be spoken in. I have some tips which I think will help you, along with some suggestions for websites you could use for listening practice.There are only a few situations where it is important to understand every single word that someone is saying – for example when listening for an announcement at an airport – otherwise you might miss your flight! However, most of the time it’s really not necessary to understand everything, so you must try very hard not to worry if you don’t catch every word.
Another thing to remember is that if you are able to ask questions then you can ask the speaker to repeat themselves or explain words that you don’t understand. Don’t be afraid to do this – generally people are always happy to teach someone something!
Here are some phrases that might be useful:Could you repeat that please?Would you mind saying that again?What does that word mean?Could you explain the meaning of that word?Here are a few things you could try at home to help you develop your listening skills:
Have a look around the BBC Learning English website – there are lots of fabulous listening activities. One of my favourites is The Flatmates http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/
This is a soap opera with a twist: you can vote for what happens in the next episode. A great feature is that the script is available to read line by line if you need some help while you’re listening. My other favourite is 6 Minute English http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/. This includes some vocabulary definitions and is always about an interesting topic.Subscribe to a podcast on the internet. Two sites you might like to look at are http://www.listen-to-english.com/ and http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-podcasts.htm. These feature audio clips written especially for English language learners. You can subscribe on both websites and they’ll deliver the podcasts straight to your inbox each week.
Listen to more music in English! This is of course another great way to improve your listening – try http://www.last.fm to find some new songs in English in all different styles.
Get together with some friends who are also learning English and try and arrange a regular meeting where you can practise speaking in English and listening to each other – this will help you to develop confidence as well. I hope this has been useful and that you will try out some of these ideas. Remember what I said about not trying to understand every word and good luck!
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/askaboutenglish/2010/01/100216_aae_listening_page.shtml
My problem is listening and understanding what people say when they are talking. Could you give me some tips to improve my listening skills? Thanks a lot.
Thanks for writing in Margarida, I think this is a question that a lot of students will be interested in. In my opinion, listening is one of the hardest skills to develop when learning a language. It can be very exhausting trying to understand someone talking in a language that is not your own, not to mention having to understand all the different accents that a language may be spoken in. I have some tips which I think will help you, along with some suggestions for websites you could use for listening practice.There are only a few situations where it is important to understand every single word that someone is saying – for example when listening for an announcement at an airport – otherwise you might miss your flight! However, most of the time it’s really not necessary to understand everything, so you must try very hard not to worry if you don’t catch every word.
Another thing to remember is that if you are able to ask questions then you can ask the speaker to repeat themselves or explain words that you don’t understand. Don’t be afraid to do this – generally people are always happy to teach someone something!
Here are some phrases that might be useful:Could you repeat that please?Would you mind saying that again?What does that word mean?Could you explain the meaning of that word?Here are a few things you could try at home to help you develop your listening skills:
Have a look around the BBC Learning English website – there are lots of fabulous listening activities. One of my favourites is The Flatmates http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/
This is a soap opera with a twist: you can vote for what happens in the next episode. A great feature is that the script is available to read line by line if you need some help while you’re listening. My other favourite is 6 Minute English http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/. This includes some vocabulary definitions and is always about an interesting topic.Subscribe to a podcast on the internet. Two sites you might like to look at are http://www.listen-to-english.com/ and http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-podcasts.htm. These feature audio clips written especially for English language learners. You can subscribe on both websites and they’ll deliver the podcasts straight to your inbox each week.
Listen to more music in English! This is of course another great way to improve your listening – try http://www.last.fm to find some new songs in English in all different styles.
Get together with some friends who are also learning English and try and arrange a regular meeting where you can practise speaking in English and listening to each other – this will help you to develop confidence as well. I hope this has been useful and that you will try out some of these ideas. Remember what I said about not trying to understand every word and good luck!
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/askaboutenglish/2010/01/100216_aae_listening_page.shtml
Improving comprehension
Reading comprehension tests and strategies
Zain Chaudhry from France writes:
I am a student of grade 9 and I'm doing my GCSEs. My English is not very bad, but I find a lot of difficulty in doing reading comprehension tests. I read the given text, kind of understand it well, but when I move to the questions, I can't give 'to- the-point' answers. Please help me to improve my reading comprehension problem.
Roger Woodham replies:
There are a wide variety of strategies that you can use to improve your reading comprehension and arrive at to-the-point answers.
Before you read:
Ask yourself: what do I know about this topic?What will it most likely be about?How is it likely to develop?NB: the title and any headings will help you to make informedguesses about all of this.If you find it helpful, read the questions before you read the passage
As you read:
Ask yourself: is it developing as I expected?
Re-read paragraphs you are not so sure about
Don't worry too much about unknown words; try to guess their meaning from the context.
After you have read:
Ask yourself: what were the main points?
GCSE/PET/FCE/CAE/CPE/IELTS reading comprehension tests
The purpose of any reading comprehension test is to see how well you have understood the passages and most of them test an in-depth or detailed understanding of the passages.
Read the passage carefully
If you have 15 minutes to read a passage and answer questions on it, it is probably worth spending 5 of those minutes reading the passage carefully early on to gain as full an understanding as possible.
Read the questions carefully
Then read the questions carefully and match the questions to the section(s) of the passage to which they refer. This, I think, is the best time for skimming the passage, scanning for information and re-reading as necessary.
Remember, you are being tested on:
Your general understanding of the passage
Your understanding of what is explicitly stated
Your understanding of points of detail in the text
The author's views and opinions or perspectives
What may be inferred from the passage, rather than explicitly stated.
Here is a practice exercise in which you can read the first ten lines of a narrative text and then answer some questions on it which test all of the above:
Mr Merriweather was dozing by the fireside. His newspaper slipped from his grasp, his head fell forward and he started to wander by the banks of a fast-flowing river. Then a coal slipped, the fire crackled and he woke up with a start.
He reached down to retrieve his newspaper and then remembered something that he wanted to ask his wife. But Mrs Merriweather was not there.
He listened for a while. The cottage seemed very quiet. The he called out "Molly!" several times but received no reply. He shuffled out into the hall and saw that Molly's rainwear was missing from its accustomed hook. And her Wellingtons which always stood with the umbrellas in the umbrella stand had also gone. Whatever would have possessed her to go out on a night such as this?
1. Which statement tells you that Mr Merriweather was dreaming?
A: he was dozing by the firesideB: his newspaper slipped from his graspC: his head fell forwardD: he started to wander by banks of a riverE: a coal slipped
2. Mr Merriweather felt sure that his wife had left the house because:
A: the cottage seemed very quiet when he woke upB: the door to the hall was openC: her raincoat was not on its pegD: her umbrella had disappearedE: she had taken all her possessions
3. The word accustomed in line 8 could most accurately be replaced by:
A: acquaintedB: usualC: protrudingD: establishedE: adapted
4. The two short sentences in line 6 are effective because they convey Mr Merriweather's sense of:
A: hasteB: alarmC: concentrationD: sleepinessE: loneliness
5. What sort of weather is suggested by the passage?
A: a wet, stormy and windy nightB: a cold frosty nightC: a mild and breezy nightD: a windy but dry nightE: a snowy nightNow scroll down to check your answers;
The answers are 1D, 2C, 3B, 4C, 5A
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv248.shtml
Zain Chaudhry from France writes:
I am a student of grade 9 and I'm doing my GCSEs. My English is not very bad, but I find a lot of difficulty in doing reading comprehension tests. I read the given text, kind of understand it well, but when I move to the questions, I can't give 'to- the-point' answers. Please help me to improve my reading comprehension problem.
Roger Woodham replies:
There are a wide variety of strategies that you can use to improve your reading comprehension and arrive at to-the-point answers.
Before you read:
Ask yourself: what do I know about this topic?What will it most likely be about?How is it likely to develop?NB: the title and any headings will help you to make informedguesses about all of this.If you find it helpful, read the questions before you read the passage
As you read:
Ask yourself: is it developing as I expected?
Re-read paragraphs you are not so sure about
Don't worry too much about unknown words; try to guess their meaning from the context.
After you have read:
Ask yourself: what were the main points?
GCSE/PET/FCE/CAE/CPE/IELTS reading comprehension tests
The purpose of any reading comprehension test is to see how well you have understood the passages and most of them test an in-depth or detailed understanding of the passages.
Read the passage carefully
If you have 15 minutes to read a passage and answer questions on it, it is probably worth spending 5 of those minutes reading the passage carefully early on to gain as full an understanding as possible.
Read the questions carefully
Then read the questions carefully and match the questions to the section(s) of the passage to which they refer. This, I think, is the best time for skimming the passage, scanning for information and re-reading as necessary.
Remember, you are being tested on:
Your general understanding of the passage
Your understanding of what is explicitly stated
Your understanding of points of detail in the text
The author's views and opinions or perspectives
What may be inferred from the passage, rather than explicitly stated.
Here is a practice exercise in which you can read the first ten lines of a narrative text and then answer some questions on it which test all of the above:
Mr Merriweather was dozing by the fireside. His newspaper slipped from his grasp, his head fell forward and he started to wander by the banks of a fast-flowing river. Then a coal slipped, the fire crackled and he woke up with a start.
He reached down to retrieve his newspaper and then remembered something that he wanted to ask his wife. But Mrs Merriweather was not there.
He listened for a while. The cottage seemed very quiet. The he called out "Molly!" several times but received no reply. He shuffled out into the hall and saw that Molly's rainwear was missing from its accustomed hook. And her Wellingtons which always stood with the umbrellas in the umbrella stand had also gone. Whatever would have possessed her to go out on a night such as this?
1. Which statement tells you that Mr Merriweather was dreaming?
A: he was dozing by the firesideB: his newspaper slipped from his graspC: his head fell forwardD: he started to wander by banks of a riverE: a coal slipped
2. Mr Merriweather felt sure that his wife had left the house because:
A: the cottage seemed very quiet when he woke upB: the door to the hall was openC: her raincoat was not on its pegD: her umbrella had disappearedE: she had taken all her possessions
3. The word accustomed in line 8 could most accurately be replaced by:
A: acquaintedB: usualC: protrudingD: establishedE: adapted
4. The two short sentences in line 6 are effective because they convey Mr Merriweather's sense of:
A: hasteB: alarmC: concentrationD: sleepinessE: loneliness
5. What sort of weather is suggested by the passage?
A: a wet, stormy and windy nightB: a cold frosty nightC: a mild and breezy nightD: a windy but dry nightE: a snowy nightNow scroll down to check your answers;
The answers are 1D, 2C, 3B, 4C, 5A
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv248.shtml
Choosing the best books
Can reading significantly improve grammar and vocabulary?
Mr Lim from Malaysia asks:I have started to read story books to improve my English. But the problem is I cannot read them fast or understand them well. The few authors I have read are John Grisham, Jeffrey Archer, Sidney Sheldon. I just fell in love with the books but am unable to finish them fast. Do you think I can improve my vocabulary and grammar if I read a lot? My grammar is very poor.
Roger replies:
If your preferred strategy for improving your English is reading, then read on! Reading is a great activity and is one to be enjoyed. You don't need any additional resources: just yourself and a good book.
I see you have a preference for adventure stories and crime fiction novels, or thrillers which are many people's favourites, including mine. The authors you have chosen all write exciting stories, ones designed to grip your attention as you read on towards the final solution. But the plot structure is quite complicated at times, there are often many different characters, the syntax is sometimes complex and the vocabulary load quite heavy. And these three authors tend to write very long novels. I see that 'The Runaway Jury' by John Grisham is 400 pages long and 'Kane and Abel' by Jeffrey Archer weighs in at 550 pages!
So, if you want to read adult fiction written primarily for readers with English as their mother tongue, the advice is: choose stories that will grip your attention, ones where the plot structure is fairly straightforward, ones with not too many characters, ones with relatively easy-to-understand syntax and vocabulary. And ones that are not too long! Then you will stand a good chance of finishing them!
But don't just choose adult fiction of the above variety. Try some of the ELT reader series too. Original stories written by ELT writers with exciting plots and good characterisation where the grammar and vocabulary has been kept relatively simple so that you can read on and finish the story in an afternoon or over a couple of days. Adventure and crime are favourite genres in these series too.
Macmillan Heinemann, OUP, CUP and Longman Penguin all have exciting series. In the CUP series, try levels 4, 5 or 6 (top level). The ones that I know personally with an adventure or crime theme are: 'Death in the Dojo' by Sue Leather; 'Dolphin Music' by Antoinette Moses; 'Trumpet Voluntary' by Jeremy Harmer; 'He knows too much' by Alan Maley and 'When summer comes' by Helen Naylor. I can guarantee that you won't be able to put them down once you have picked them up!
And, yes, I do think that your grammar and vocabulary will improve if you read a lot. If you are reading a story that you enjoy, it is likely that you will re-read sections that you are particularly attracted to and the vocabulary and syntax in these sections will be more memorable and usable. All the CUP series are recorded on cassettes too, if you want to work on your listening skills, and they all come with worksheets if you want to work further on comprehension and language extension activities.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv31.shtml
Mr Lim from Malaysia asks:I have started to read story books to improve my English. But the problem is I cannot read them fast or understand them well. The few authors I have read are John Grisham, Jeffrey Archer, Sidney Sheldon. I just fell in love with the books but am unable to finish them fast. Do you think I can improve my vocabulary and grammar if I read a lot? My grammar is very poor.
Roger replies:
If your preferred strategy for improving your English is reading, then read on! Reading is a great activity and is one to be enjoyed. You don't need any additional resources: just yourself and a good book.
I see you have a preference for adventure stories and crime fiction novels, or thrillers which are many people's favourites, including mine. The authors you have chosen all write exciting stories, ones designed to grip your attention as you read on towards the final solution. But the plot structure is quite complicated at times, there are often many different characters, the syntax is sometimes complex and the vocabulary load quite heavy. And these three authors tend to write very long novels. I see that 'The Runaway Jury' by John Grisham is 400 pages long and 'Kane and Abel' by Jeffrey Archer weighs in at 550 pages!
So, if you want to read adult fiction written primarily for readers with English as their mother tongue, the advice is: choose stories that will grip your attention, ones where the plot structure is fairly straightforward, ones with not too many characters, ones with relatively easy-to-understand syntax and vocabulary. And ones that are not too long! Then you will stand a good chance of finishing them!
But don't just choose adult fiction of the above variety. Try some of the ELT reader series too. Original stories written by ELT writers with exciting plots and good characterisation where the grammar and vocabulary has been kept relatively simple so that you can read on and finish the story in an afternoon or over a couple of days. Adventure and crime are favourite genres in these series too.
Macmillan Heinemann, OUP, CUP and Longman Penguin all have exciting series. In the CUP series, try levels 4, 5 or 6 (top level). The ones that I know personally with an adventure or crime theme are: 'Death in the Dojo' by Sue Leather; 'Dolphin Music' by Antoinette Moses; 'Trumpet Voluntary' by Jeremy Harmer; 'He knows too much' by Alan Maley and 'When summer comes' by Helen Naylor. I can guarantee that you won't be able to put them down once you have picked them up!
And, yes, I do think that your grammar and vocabulary will improve if you read a lot. If you are reading a story that you enjoy, it is likely that you will re-read sections that you are particularly attracted to and the vocabulary and syntax in these sections will be more memorable and usable. All the CUP series are recorded on cassettes too, if you want to work on your listening skills, and they all come with worksheets if you want to work further on comprehension and language extension activities.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv31.shtml
Extending your vocabulary
Zhang Xiaoying from China asks:
I have been studying English for one and a half years in Singapore government school. I think my problem in English is my poor vocabulary for comprehension as I failed my comprehension exam yesterday, however I tried very hard but still can't improve.Could you help me?
Roger replies:
I assume that your question, Zhang, is all about extending your vocabulary through reading comprehension activities.
First of all, make sure that you choose texts which you are interested in. It is an established fact that reading interesting texts makes the language that is used in them more memorable.
Try also to choose texts which are not too difficult for your level if you really want to consolidate the vocabulary within them when you are reading. Work on guessing the meaning and use of the lexis in the context in which it occurs. If the text is appropriate for your level, your guesses will almost certainly be correct. Underline expressions or vocabulary that appeals to you as an aid to memorizing it.
I find that one useful way of focusing on words and their meanings or usage is through cloze text activity. There are several varieties of this and the one I have chosen below is open cloze or gap-fill in which you have to think of a word which best completes the clause:
Brenda.............to work over the weekend in order to catch up and she...............her tutor's offer of additional help.
There may be other equally good options, but the ones that I think of are agreed and accepted respectively.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv24.shtml
I have been studying English for one and a half years in Singapore government school. I think my problem in English is my poor vocabulary for comprehension as I failed my comprehension exam yesterday, however I tried very hard but still can't improve.Could you help me?
Roger replies:
I assume that your question, Zhang, is all about extending your vocabulary through reading comprehension activities.
First of all, make sure that you choose texts which you are interested in. It is an established fact that reading interesting texts makes the language that is used in them more memorable.
Try also to choose texts which are not too difficult for your level if you really want to consolidate the vocabulary within them when you are reading. Work on guessing the meaning and use of the lexis in the context in which it occurs. If the text is appropriate for your level, your guesses will almost certainly be correct. Underline expressions or vocabulary that appeals to you as an aid to memorizing it.
I find that one useful way of focusing on words and their meanings or usage is through cloze text activity. There are several varieties of this and the one I have chosen below is open cloze or gap-fill in which you have to think of a word which best completes the clause:
Brenda.............to work over the weekend in order to catch up and she...............her tutor's offer of additional help.
There may be other equally good options, but the ones that I think of are agreed and accepted respectively.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv24.shtml
The IELTS speaking tests
Alice, studying English in Hong Kong, writes:
I plan to take the IELTS test next year. My grammar and reading comprehension are OK, but the topics that appear in Writing Task 2 and Speaking Part 2 & Part 3 can be quite broad and the topic boundary is quite vague. My biggest problem with the writing Task 2 and the Speaking part 2 & 3 is that I don't have enough opinions or ideas or examples to talk about. One of the main reasons is that I am unfamiliar with the situation presented by the question.
Could you please give me some specific advice to solve my language problem?
Roger Woodham replies:
I shall concentrate on preparing for the speaking test in this answer.
Speaking Part 2
In Part 2 of the IELTS speaking test (and there are similar developments in Part 3 of the new CPE speaking test) there is a long turn where you have to speak for one or two minutes on a topic which is given to you printed on a card.
Nobody of course knows which topic they will be given to talk about but it should not be totally unfamiliar to you as it will involve your own personal experience. Even so, it is important to make full use of the one-minute preparation time to think your way into the topic and to sort out what you want to say. If your thoughts are organised, there is every chance that your presentation will also be organised.
If you are a good note-taker, you may find it useful to make some notes against the cues on the card in your one-minute preparation time. If you are not a good note-taker, do not attempt to make notes but simply focus on the cues to guide your thoughts. They should give you enough to talk about for one to two minutes. Try practising with these two examples, one with the aid of notes (if you find this useful) and one without:
Tell me about the people who live next door to you.
Tell me:
What sort of people they are
How long they have been living next door to you.
Whether you ever do anything together
Explain what makes them agreeable or disagreeable.Tell me about your favourite song or piece of music.
Tell me:
What type of song or music it is and who sings or plays it
How often you listen to it or sing it
What sort of effect it has on you
Explain how it has influenced you in the past.
Did the headings themselves give you sufficient guidance for a two-minute presentation? Was it useful to make notes?
Speaking Part 3
Part three involves discussion of topics which develop from what you have been talking about in Part 2. Some of the questions you are asked may be quite demanding and require an ability to think on your feet.
In this section, you will be discussing possibilities and speculating, referring to your own thoughts, opinions and experiences, but also generalising.
To improve your general knowledge, watch or listen to English language news on TV ( + teletext ) or radio every day. Check out the BBC news websites, download and study articles that you are drawn to.
Again in Part 3, take time to organise your thoughts. Some hesitation is natural if related to putting your thoughts together. See how you get on with these examples which might introduce Part 3, following on from the Stage 2 examples:
Is it a good idea to be very close to your neighbours? What are the advantages/ disadvantages of such a close relationship?
Why is there sometimes wide variation in the type of music older and younger people like? What do you see as the main function of music in life?
Remember, if you are not sure about what is meant by the question, you can always ask the examiner to explain (parts of) it and thereby gain extra time in which to make your reply. But try to use Part 3 to show off your knowledge and demonstrate your ability to express an opinion and justify your ideas.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv251.shtml
I plan to take the IELTS test next year. My grammar and reading comprehension are OK, but the topics that appear in Writing Task 2 and Speaking Part 2 & Part 3 can be quite broad and the topic boundary is quite vague. My biggest problem with the writing Task 2 and the Speaking part 2 & 3 is that I don't have enough opinions or ideas or examples to talk about. One of the main reasons is that I am unfamiliar with the situation presented by the question.
Could you please give me some specific advice to solve my language problem?
Roger Woodham replies:
I shall concentrate on preparing for the speaking test in this answer.
Speaking Part 2
In Part 2 of the IELTS speaking test (and there are similar developments in Part 3 of the new CPE speaking test) there is a long turn where you have to speak for one or two minutes on a topic which is given to you printed on a card.
Nobody of course knows which topic they will be given to talk about but it should not be totally unfamiliar to you as it will involve your own personal experience. Even so, it is important to make full use of the one-minute preparation time to think your way into the topic and to sort out what you want to say. If your thoughts are organised, there is every chance that your presentation will also be organised.
If you are a good note-taker, you may find it useful to make some notes against the cues on the card in your one-minute preparation time. If you are not a good note-taker, do not attempt to make notes but simply focus on the cues to guide your thoughts. They should give you enough to talk about for one to two minutes. Try practising with these two examples, one with the aid of notes (if you find this useful) and one without:
Tell me about the people who live next door to you.
Tell me:
What sort of people they are
How long they have been living next door to you.
Whether you ever do anything together
Explain what makes them agreeable or disagreeable.Tell me about your favourite song or piece of music.
Tell me:
What type of song or music it is and who sings or plays it
How often you listen to it or sing it
What sort of effect it has on you
Explain how it has influenced you in the past.
Did the headings themselves give you sufficient guidance for a two-minute presentation? Was it useful to make notes?
Speaking Part 3
Part three involves discussion of topics which develop from what you have been talking about in Part 2. Some of the questions you are asked may be quite demanding and require an ability to think on your feet.
In this section, you will be discussing possibilities and speculating, referring to your own thoughts, opinions and experiences, but also generalising.
To improve your general knowledge, watch or listen to English language news on TV ( + teletext ) or radio every day. Check out the BBC news websites, download and study articles that you are drawn to.
Again in Part 3, take time to organise your thoughts. Some hesitation is natural if related to putting your thoughts together. See how you get on with these examples which might introduce Part 3, following on from the Stage 2 examples:
Is it a good idea to be very close to your neighbours? What are the advantages/ disadvantages of such a close relationship?
Why is there sometimes wide variation in the type of music older and younger people like? What do you see as the main function of music in life?
Remember, if you are not sure about what is meant by the question, you can always ask the examiner to explain (parts of) it and thereby gain extra time in which to make your reply. But try to use Part 3 to show off your knowledge and demonstrate your ability to express an opinion and justify your ideas.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv251.shtml
A question about IELTS writing tasks
Kathy Zheng from China asks:I am going to sit the IELTS test but I am very worried about the writing task. Could you give me some suggestions, please?
Roger replies:
For those of you who don’t know, the IELTS (the International English Language Testing System) provides an assessment of whether candidates are ready to study or train through the medium of English. It is recognised by higher and further education institutions as fulfilling English language entrance requirements and by professional bodies such as the General Medical Council. It is readily available in 251 approved test centres in 105 countries around the world who arrange tests according to demand.
For the academic module, there are two writing tasks, as I’m sure you know, Kathy. In Task 1 you need to write a minimum of 150 words in about 20 minutes and in Task 2 a minimum of 250 words in about 40 minutes.
In Task 1 you are asked to look at a diagram or table or bar chart and then to organise and present the data in your own words in the form of a general report suitable for a university lecturer or tutor. Scripts are assessed on the criteria of:
task fulfilmentcoherence and cohesionvocabulary and sentence structure.
So that you satisfy the task fulfilment requirements, it is a good idea to spend a minute or two at the beginning, making sure that you understand the information given and can represent it accurately in your answer. Remember all that your are doing is transferring tabulated information to a continuous discourse medium. You are not required to comment on it.
It is also a good idea at the beginning to take a little time to think about how you will organise the information in your response so that it has appropriate coherence and paragraphing. Make sure you know how to use cohesive devices like ‘firstly’, ‘secondly’ etc, so that your text hangs together both within and between sentences.
And finally, in your reply to this question, try to use an appropriate range of vocabulary and sentence structures, as suggested by the question itself. The focus should be on appropriacy rather than breadth of expression.
In Task 2, you are presented with a point of view or argument or problem and you are assessed on your ability to find a solution, justify an opinion and compare and contrast evidence. Thus, you will need to formulate and develop an argument and to show a degree of personal response. Let’s look at a sample question which appears in the IELTS April 2000 Handbook:
Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no Specialist knowledge of the following topic:
'It is inevitable that as technology develops, traditional cultures must be lost. Technology and tradition are incompatible – you cannot have both together.'
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Should you choose to agree with this proposition, your opening paragraph might read as follows:
'Technology has developed rapidly over the past fifty years and technological developments are accelerating at an even faster rate now. I think it is the case that with these developments traditional culture has to a large extent disappeared. Take my own country for example.'
That is already forty-four words. All you then need to do over perhaps three or four paragraphs is to present, say, three instances of disappearance of traditional culture relating to, e.g. dress, food and customs and then perhaps cite one example of traditional culture that has been maintained to justify your ‘to a large extent’ claim in the opening paragraph.
You are ready then to introduce a final paragraph which summarises your viewpoint:
In conclusion, it seems fairly clear that in the culture that I grew up in only those traditions with the strongest roots in people’s beliefs and values are likely to survive the unrelenting progress of technological advance.
Give it your best shot, Kathy! And to all of you taking IELTS over the coming months, think clearly and organise your thoughts well as far as the writing is concerned. Then utilise the best linguistic resources that you possess.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv86.shtml
Roger replies:
For those of you who don’t know, the IELTS (the International English Language Testing System) provides an assessment of whether candidates are ready to study or train through the medium of English. It is recognised by higher and further education institutions as fulfilling English language entrance requirements and by professional bodies such as the General Medical Council. It is readily available in 251 approved test centres in 105 countries around the world who arrange tests according to demand.
For the academic module, there are two writing tasks, as I’m sure you know, Kathy. In Task 1 you need to write a minimum of 150 words in about 20 minutes and in Task 2 a minimum of 250 words in about 40 minutes.
In Task 1 you are asked to look at a diagram or table or bar chart and then to organise and present the data in your own words in the form of a general report suitable for a university lecturer or tutor. Scripts are assessed on the criteria of:
task fulfilmentcoherence and cohesionvocabulary and sentence structure.
So that you satisfy the task fulfilment requirements, it is a good idea to spend a minute or two at the beginning, making sure that you understand the information given and can represent it accurately in your answer. Remember all that your are doing is transferring tabulated information to a continuous discourse medium. You are not required to comment on it.
It is also a good idea at the beginning to take a little time to think about how you will organise the information in your response so that it has appropriate coherence and paragraphing. Make sure you know how to use cohesive devices like ‘firstly’, ‘secondly’ etc, so that your text hangs together both within and between sentences.
And finally, in your reply to this question, try to use an appropriate range of vocabulary and sentence structures, as suggested by the question itself. The focus should be on appropriacy rather than breadth of expression.
In Task 2, you are presented with a point of view or argument or problem and you are assessed on your ability to find a solution, justify an opinion and compare and contrast evidence. Thus, you will need to formulate and develop an argument and to show a degree of personal response. Let’s look at a sample question which appears in the IELTS April 2000 Handbook:
Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no Specialist knowledge of the following topic:
'It is inevitable that as technology develops, traditional cultures must be lost. Technology and tradition are incompatible – you cannot have both together.'
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Should you choose to agree with this proposition, your opening paragraph might read as follows:
'Technology has developed rapidly over the past fifty years and technological developments are accelerating at an even faster rate now. I think it is the case that with these developments traditional culture has to a large extent disappeared. Take my own country for example.'
That is already forty-four words. All you then need to do over perhaps three or four paragraphs is to present, say, three instances of disappearance of traditional culture relating to, e.g. dress, food and customs and then perhaps cite one example of traditional culture that has been maintained to justify your ‘to a large extent’ claim in the opening paragraph.
You are ready then to introduce a final paragraph which summarises your viewpoint:
In conclusion, it seems fairly clear that in the culture that I grew up in only those traditions with the strongest roots in people’s beliefs and values are likely to survive the unrelenting progress of technological advance.
Give it your best shot, Kathy! And to all of you taking IELTS over the coming months, think clearly and organise your thoughts well as far as the writing is concerned. Then utilise the best linguistic resources that you possess.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv86.shtml
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