Reported Speech

When you repeat the stuff that people tell you, it's normal in everyday conversation to keep the tenses the same.

For example: Yesterday I was in the bank. I met an old friend of mine, Alan, who I hadn't seen in ages. Here's part of our conversation:

Me: Hey Alan. I haven't seen you in ages. What have you been doing?

Alan: You wouldn't believe it, man. I lost my job, I broke up with my girlfriend, and my house has been robbed.

The next day I meet a mutual friend of ours, Bill. I want to tell him about Alan. Here's what I say:

Me: Bill, you'll never guess what. I was talking to Alan yesterday and he told me he lost his job, he broke up with his girlfriend, and his house has been robbed.

Bill: You're kidding.

In this example I'm keeping the tenses in the Reported Speech the same. This is done in informal conversation. It gives a sense of immediacy, puts you in the action, dramatizes it. However, I could also say this:

Me: Bill, you've got to hear this. I talked to Alan yesterday and he told me he had lost his job, he had broken up with his girlfriend, and his house had been robbed.

Bill: I don't believe it. That's terrible. Poor Alan.

In this example I have shifted the tenses back. This is more formal and gives the conversation a more serious feeling. When writing you should use the "shift back" approach, but you have an alternative in conversation.

5 Steps to Success in English

1. Write down what motivates you to learn English. Why do you want to learn English? Make a list of all your reasons. Try and be specific. The more specific you are the clearer the picture will be for you.
2. Think about your long term goals - 2 years, 5 years, 10 years - for your English capabilities. See yourself in 10 years time. What will you be able to do? How will English help in your future life; career, friends, communication, understanding, self-fulfillment, travel?
3. Now think of what you can do today to start working towards those long term goals. Be specific. Make a plan for every day of the week. Find time in your schedule - morning, afternoon or evening. Write it down - the exact times you're going to listen, read, speak and write English. It doesn't matter if it's just 10 minutes. Write it down and keep to it. One day at a time.
4. Keep a diary or record of your progress. Set yourself short term goals - I'm going to learn 10 new vocabulary words this week - and give yourself a pat on the back when you achieve your goals. Find a friend and work together. Help each other to stay motivated. Keep it fun and interesting.
5. When you have written out your goals and plans find a quiet time during the day, close your eyes, and see yourself in the future, having achieved your goals. See how happy you feel at doing everything you wanted to do. Keep that picture in your mind and return to it every day. What you see you will follow. 

New Term

Level 3 c having fun

Today is the start of another term and, as you can see, everyone's getting very excited. We have classes at Levels 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2C and 3C.

We welcome all our new students including some English Majors, who have discovered the Diploma, and hope we will all continue to learn and have fun too.

My students in 3C will be doing presentations this term on characters they have chosen from our novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" and I will be giving a prize to the top student.

I hope you all enjoy your time learning English with us this term. 

So and Neither

Students find responses with "So" and "Neither" difficult to understand. I can see why. They are confusing for a non-native speaker.

There are 4 different situations in this type of response.

1. Agree to a positive statement    eg. I love walking in the mountains.  So do I.
2. Disagree with a positive statement   eg.   I didn't like that movie.  Actually, I did.
3. Agree with a negative statement    eg.  I can't stand rude people. Neither can I.
4. Disagree with a negative statement  eg. I've decided I'm not going to India.  Oh, I am.

Notice that whether you agree or disagree we don't use "not".  We also must use the form of the verb used in the first statement. That could be a different tense or using a modal. 

Remember that it's the question form we are using:  "do, did, can and am".

When agreeing we use "so" or "neither", positive or negative, and when disagreeing we can use "oh" or "actually".

So, it's quite easy really.

EXAM DAY

Today is exam day for all our Diploma students. So, good luck to all of you this evening.

I was pretty good at exams when I was young. I don't why. I did all the wrong things. I waited until the last minute and then swatted furiously - staying up late for the week of the tests. Drinking coffee, pacing up and down, not able to concentrate. I hated swatting. It was such a drudge. But, I still managed to do ok in my tests. I had some sort of desire to succeed. 

What advice, if any, can I give you guys studying for your exams?

I think it's all about seeing your goal, your preferred outcome, that is, to achieve your potential. And you're the only one responsible. No one can stop you but yourself. Ask yourself the 3 questions.

Do I want to pass this exam?  Can I pass this exam? Will I pass this exam?

Answer Yes to all 3 truthfully and with conviction and you're nearly there.

Now, you need to see yourself receiving your grade and feel the joy and happiness come over you as you realize you've done it.

Before your exam take some time out. Relax. Don't chatter to all your friends for a while. Get calm. You can listen to some music on your headphones. Close your eyes and see yourself in the future getting your grade and how happy you will feel. Don't look at your books. Breathe deeply and relax. Now, calmly get ready to answer the questions, letting yourself see the answers you already know you've seen before.

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