English Novels

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word "hobbit". This word was invented by J.R.R. Tolkien for his 1937 novel "The Hobbit". Today, the word is widely known because of the immense popularity of J.R.R. Tolkien's books and the movies made from them. 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 moving onto the next. As the teacher we often forget how our actions are perceived by the student. Even if our lateness is beyond our control, the students may not...  [Read more]

The technology Era has transformed the options for teaching in the classroom. Gone are the days when the teacher only had a blackboard and a chalk. If available or possible the possibilities of having a computer in the classroom are infinite. There are many activities and software to aid the students in their challenge of learning a new language. With just a computer, the students can practice the alphabet by looking at the keyboard, see words used when opening a program and interact with them. As Bernie Poole stated in What Every Teacher Should Know about Technology, 'Every teacher should be proficient in the use of productivity tools. Teachers have to process many different types of data. Productivity tools (word processor, spreadsheet) are available on all computers and are...  [Read more]

In an ESL lesson, the materials chosen to present the new grammar and vocabulary are a very important part of the teacher?s preparation and largely determine how well the lesson will be understood and enjoyed by the students. The options of materials are many but all have their own appropriate uses. It is a good idea for ESL teachers to build up a collection of teaching materials and ideas that span from fun games to worksheets to short, easy novels. Often, a course book is the main guideline but other materials should be used to complement and diversify the lessons. Choosing the correct materials depend on many different areas such as class size, language level, personal interests of the students, student ages, etc. But the teacher should view this part of...  [Read more]

In an ESL lesson, the materials chosen to present the new grammar and vocabulary are a very important part of the teacher’s preparation and largely determine how well the lesson will be understood and enjoyed by the students. The options of materials are many but all have their own appropriate uses. It is a good idea for ESL teachers to build up a collection of teaching materials and ideas that span from fun games to worksheets to short, easy novels. Often, a course book is the main guideline but other materials should be used to complement and diversify the lessons. Choosing the correct materials depend on many different areas such as class size, language level, personal interests of the students, student ages, etc. But the teacher should view this part of planning...  [Read more]

During the late seventeenth century while James, Duke of York, was renaming New Amsterdam. The vowel ' as in 'man' was lenghtening in certain contexts. In words like 'laugh' and 'path' and 'pass' wich end in unvoiced fricatives, in words like 'dance'and 'plant', which end in a nasal and an s or t, and in words where the ' was followed by r, that short vowel began to grow long. The older pronunciation of 'dance was d'ns, wholly acceptable today to english speakers outside the cultural area dominated by London, then it became d':ns. It was not until the nineteenth century, that this long ' decided to migrate to the back of the mout and become the α: which is charachteristic of southern speech today. It is a source of mockery, or reluctant admiration, among provincials and...  [Read more]

Santorini is many peoples’ idea of the quintessential greece. The picture postcard island of Santorini is the last of the Cyclades islands to the South. The closests islands are Ios, Folegandros, Sikinos to the North, Anafi and Amorgos to the East and Crete to the South. Generally referred to it as a single island, Santorini is actually a series of five islands. Santorini (Thira) is the main island and around it Thirasia and Aspronisi (parts of the ancient Stroggili) and the two volcanic islands Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni. Until about 1645 BC, Santorini was one island named Stroggili (circle in Greek), until the volcano in the middle of the island erupted and Caldera was created. The two volcanic islands appeared much later from various eruptions starting from 157 BC until the last one...  [Read more]