Teaching English to speakers of other languages

Hi all,

what does the word "procrastinator" mean? I just can’t find it in my
dictionary, so can you please help me?

thanks in advance!

~Maxine

Do you say:

I moved a little later to a better area       or
I moved a little later into a better area

I just didn’t pay any attention to her       or
I just didn’t pay any attention on her

Are these sentences in correct English?

1. I was chosen on the spot.

2. If somebody is really getting on my nerves I can get very loud and
believe me you wouldn’t want to be shouted at by me.

I’d be very grateful, if you can help me.
Thank you!

Is the opposite of "talented" "untalented"? I’m not sure about it….

Is a remedial class the same as tutoring? What’s BE and what’s AE?

Hi,

Can you help?

I’m a student at a high school in Lancashire, UK, where I’m studying GCSE
English. As part of this course, my group have been working on a play called
"A Taste of Honey" by Shelagh Delaney.

To further our work into this play, my teacher is trying to find a copy of
the film based upon this play. Unfortuanately, we are unable to find a copy
of this for sale on the internet.

If you have a PAL copy of the film "A Taste of Honey" that you no longer
want, please could you contact me by e-mail so I can inform my teacher.

We are desperate to get a copy of this video to continue our studies so any
help you could give would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Chris Walton
Ch…@trekkie71.freeserve.co.uk

Hi there, could anyone tell me what is the pronoun used for both genders
male and female.
thanks alot

I would be most grateful if someone could provide me with explanations
and examples illustrating the meaning(s) of the expression ‘after
all’. E.g. ‘he’s given us a lot of trouble but he is our friend so we
ought to help him after all’ or ‘he was all alone and it was dark, but
he wasn’t scared, after all he wasn’t a kid any more’.

[ Note: followups trimmed.]

In article <38BEE77D.D5C76…@adcomtech.net>,

- — -

Jim MacFarlane <j…@adcomtech.net> wrote:
>"David Formosa (aka ? the Platypus)" wrote:

>> On Thu, 02 Mar 2000 15:55:32 +1100, Jim MacFarlane
><j…@adcomtech.net> wrote:
>> >"David Formosa (aka ? the Platypus)" wrote:
>> [...]
>> >If you want that original sentence to be included in the
>> >following sentence then you shouldn’t use a full-stop.
>> >That’s the Grammar I was taught.

>> As I pointed out in the references you where taught wrong.

>I was taught wrong? Thanks, that clears that up.

>> >But when I think about it?
>>  ^^^
>> And you start your sentences with conjunctions in writing as well see.

>Did you think I didn’t do that deliberately ???
>Why did you cut out the rest of that line?

>The question I’m asking is whether this is a conversational medium?
>I think that it is.

Well you’re wrong.  :-)

Let’s go to that old authority on such matters:

FOWLER, H.W. 1968. "A Dictionary of Modern English Usage"
   2nd edition, revised by Sir Ernest Gowers. (Oxford Univ. Press.)

Look under "and" for example (if you look under "but" you will be
referred back to "AND 5" anyway).  Here’s what Fowler has to say:

  5. _And_ beginning a sentence. That it is a solecism to begin a
  sentence with _and_ is a faintly lingering SUPERSTITION.  The OED
  gives examples ranging from the 10th to the 19th c.; the Bible
  is full of them.

Of course, some folk tend to disagree with the esteemed Fowler and
prefer the authority of:

PARTRIDGE, Eric (1965). "Usage and Abusage. A guide to good English"
   6th edition. (Hamish Hamilton: London.)

Eric is less abrupt in dealing with the "superstitious".  ;-)  
In this case he simply says:

  *and*. In general, avoid beginning a sentence with _and_: its use
  is justified only when a very effective addition is desired or
  when an arresting accumulation is to be concluded.

That’s the way I would normally use it too: sparingly, for effect.

Cheers,  Ian S.

ianstDEL…@THISdpi.qld.gov.au

If you live in Montreal and want to improve your language skills, visit our
site:

www.geocities.com/boitedelangues

How much of a role do you think linguistics play in teaching children? I
find this topic to be very intriguing. If you can also give me some
examples of how this is helpful in the classroom, I’d greatly appreciate
it! Thanks a lot!

Hopefully a soon-to-be teacher,
Rebecca Lynn
b…@udel.edu

My name is Stacey Kaiser.  I am an elementary education student at Arkansas
State University in Beebe Arkansas.  For a class project, I am to contact
an education newsgroup and get a reply.  I am new at this, and really need
your help.  While I am here, I might as well ask a question.  AR is getting
quite a few ESL students.  What is a good ESL teaching series?  Thanks,
Stacey