English Grammar For German Students

IntroductionWhen I decided I wanted to compare of course materials used for adult students here in Germany I contacted a teacher that has been working in Munich for over 15 years and asked here if she could help me. I did lend several books from here but in the end I chose to use two books. My chose depended on that these books where suitable for a comparative study because they aimed for the same level of students. The first book is called 'Network' and is a stage 1 book printed in 2001. The other book I chose to use is also a stage 1 book and is called 'First choice'. The reason for me choosing this book is that it is the newest book I managed to get a hold of and it is printed. My aim was to see how these books matched what I have been taught during the TEFL course and how...  [Read more]

I went to France when I was fourteen and I didn?t speak any French. I lived in Toulon where barely anyone spoke English; I was therefore forced to speak French everyday at home and at school. Being surrounded by French resulted in me being able to speak it fluently with no knowledge of French grammar. After ten months, I returned to Australia speaking French as my second language. I continued to study French at school, but in a completely different approach. The lessons were carried out in English and we studied the French news and French current affairs. I learnt a lot more complicated vocabulary and was able to form more complex sentences. I also studied beginner Spanish at school. From the first class, we were only allowed to speak Spanish. This approach...  [Read more]

In the 1990 United States census , 60 million Americans identified themselves as being of 'German' descent. Native speakers of German made up almost half of all immigrants to the United States between 1821 and 1893. These settlers had an almost immediate impact on the language. German borrowings such as sauerkraut, noodle and loafer came into common use as early as the 1820s . As these new arrivals and their descendants gained proficiency in the host language, they modified the usage of English words or substituted German words to fill perceived gaps in English expression. These later, more subtle influences have helped shape modern American English.Some German words were translated into English and retained the same usages, even if they did not apply in English. The use of the...  [Read more]

In the 1990 United States census , 60 million Americans identified themselves as being of ?German? descent. Native speakers of German made up almost half of all immigrants to the United States between 1821 and 1893. These settlers had an almost immediate impact on the language. German borrowings such as sauerkraut, noodle and loafer came into common use as early as the 1820s . As these new arrivals and their descendants gained proficiency in the host language, they modified the usage of English words or substituted German words to fill perceived gaps in English expression. These later, more subtle influences have helped shape modern American English. Some German words were translated into English and retained the same usages, even if they did not apply in English....  [Read more]

The teaching of languages in the French educational system is slowly starting earlier and earlier, with the students learning some English as early as Ecole Premiere (US equivalent of elementary school). Because France is situated in the middle of Europe, it is very important for the people to have some background in several languages. That is why it is obligatory to study a minimum of two languages, and because English is becoming more and more important as a language, all students are required to study it as one of their two languages. Whichever language a student chooses to study first, the instruction will officially begin in the first or second year of Coll'ge (middle school), thus allowing the student to follow a language to the end of Lyc'e (high school), giving them 6...  [Read more]

  In her TEFL review video Francesca from Germany talks about her 120 hour TEFL/TESOL online course. The course gave her a greater understanding of grammar and phonology. It also gave her many insights into how to structure her lessons. She now feels very confident in her ability to be able to deliver productive lessons to her students. She now plans to further her job prospects by completing ITTT's Teaching English to Young Learners course. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before...  [Read more]

My first language, or "mother" language, is English, and I can´t remember learning any bit of it as a child. I have brief memories of learning grammar in grade school, but as far as I´m concerned, I could speak just fine before Kindergarten. Then why did it take me over eight years to feel slightly comfortable speaking German' How come I could learn so much better as a drooling baby than a university student' Let us consider the differences in learning a first language vs. a second languageIn defense of the hardened university student, studies show that a baby´s brain is more apt to learn a mother language when compared with an adult brain learning a second language. According to http://www.fcs.uga.edu/pubs/PDF/FACS01-6 , "The baby´s brain is actually ´primed´ to...  [Read more]

My first language, or "mother" language, is English, and I can´t remember learning any bit of it as a child. I have brief memories of learning grammar in grade school, but as far as I´m concerned, I could speak just fine before Kindergarten. Then why did it take me over eight years to feel slightly comfortable speaking German? How come I could learn so much better as a drooling baby than a university student? Let us consider the differences in learning a first language vs. a second language In defense of the hardened university student, studies show that a baby´s brain is more apt to learn a mother language when compared with an adult brain learning a second language. According to ...  [Read more]

The English language was created in England. Throughout history, this language has spread to many parts of the world. It is used as a link language for International business and diplomacy.According to Madhukar N. Gate, it has taken thousands of words from other languages such as French, Latin, German, Greek and so on. We can even find Sanskrit words in English. For example: Guru and Pundit are two Sanskrit words used in English. English grammar is quite simple, in many languages nouns have grammatical gender which makes some verbs and adjectives change. This doesn't happen in English. The adjective 'big' is used with all nouns such as man, woman, child, book etc, as well as applying to both singular and plural nouns.Counting large numbers in English is very simple. For example,...  [Read more]

The English language was created in England. Throughout history, this language has spread to many parts of the world. It is used as a link language for International business and diplomacy. According to Madhukar N. Gate, it has taken thousands of words from other languages such as French, Latin, German, Greek and so on. We can even find Sanskrit words in English. For example: Guru and Pundit are two Sanskrit words used in English. English grammar is quite simple, in many languages nouns have grammatical gender which makes some verbs and adjectives change. This doesn?t happen in English. The adjective ?big? is used with all nouns such as man, woman, child, book etc, as well as applying to both singular and plural nouns. Counting large numbers in English is very simple. For...  [Read more]

There are common issues that all learners inevitably face. : The complexities of future tenses, modal and phrasal verbs. Aside from this, study habits and memorization of vocabulary are other hurdles that all students must jump. But each country, region, city or village will have its unique set of issues that will make language acquisition more complex. Having lived and worked in the region of Catalonia for the last 3 years a number of complexities of English learning have been brought to my attention Though the problems for learners in Spain/Catalonia may not be altogether unique in all aspects, I will attempt to clarify those that seem of particular issue in my short experience teaching here. The culture of language acquisition has become a larger issue as Catalans have...  [Read more]

What does TEFL mean?    The acronym TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. It is commonly used to refer to training courses that almost anyone can take to learn the skills and knowledge required to teach English to non-native speakers in countries all over the world. What is the difference between TESOL and TEFL?    TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. These descriptions are generally used interchangeably, however, TESOL is more common in the USA and TEFL is more common in the UK. Do I need a TEFL certificate to teach abroad?    Although it is possible to teach abroad without a TEFL certificate, we recommended that you complete a TEFL...  [Read more]