Spoken English

Understanding English - or any second language - is one thing. Being able to speak it clearly and confidently is another. There are many great websites to help you learn English; the grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary. Often, though, when it comes to learning to SPEAK the language well, it's easy to find yourself feeling alone.

Here are 5 really good ways to improve your spoken English.

Method 1 - Listen to Native Speakers of English

This is important for two reasons. The first is that, if you are learning English with a teacher who is NOT a native speaker, you will be picking up mistakes as well as valuable information. You will be learning to speak English with the accent of your teacher, and NOT the accent of a native speaker.

What usually happens is that non-native speakers of English actually produce sounds in a different area of the mouth to native speakers, which his why second language speakers often find English sounds like 'r', 'n', 'w' and 'th' difficult or even impossible to say. They will copy their teacher and make a guess at it, often without getting it right.

The second reason that this is important is that by listening carefully to native speakers, you will hear the flow and the 'music' of the language. This is something that you HAVE to hear - you cannot learn it from books and newspapers.

Method 2 - Just Say It!

Does this sound familiar? You've decided you're going to practice speaking English...you've thought about what you want to say..you wait for your moment to speak, and when it comes.......you say nothing. I've done this, when learning French and Spanish, and I'm sure you have too. Why do we do this? Usually we are worried in case we make a mistake, in case we get it wrong, or in case the other person misunderstands, or laughs.

FEAR prevents us from practice. Just take a deep breath and SAY IT. It doesn't matter if it doesn't sound perfect, just say it. Speaking out loud is the only way to improve your spoken English (or my French and Spanish!). The good news is, the more you do it, the easier it gets, and the more confident you become.

Method 3 - Act A Little!

This one might seem strange, but a good way of improving your English is to act a little. For example, to learn a British English accent, you might pretend that you are 'Lord or Lady so-and-so', or another suitable character. Imagine how they would talk: how clearly and precisely would they form their words?

This isn't as crazy as it sounds. Many people are nervous about speaking out loud because they are embarrassed or even surprised by the new sounds that they are making. Putting those sounds into a 'character' like this can be a useful way of getting over those nerves. You probably wouldn't want to speak in this voice all the time, but it's a good way to practice on your own!

Linked to this idea about acting, is to focus on the mouth positions needed to speak good, clear English. Make these mouth positions bigger than they need to be when you practice them. Really get used to how the English sounds are made, and how they differ from the same sounds made in your own language. This will go some way towards helping you reduce your accent and the Mother Tongue Influence (MTI) on your spoken English.

Method 4 - Ask!

This is an obvious one...BUT it's one that many people overlook!! How many times have you had a question about speaking better English, you've typed it into a search engine, and seen which answers most closely match your questions? What about using this as a starting point and ASKING the information provider your own question?

It's a good idea to make sure that your question has a chance of being answered, though - there are many forums where questions can sit for days or even weeks without an answer, and you might not want to wait that long.

There are many people (myself included) with blogs, youtube channels, twitter and facebook pages who can and will answer any questions that you have. Sometimes it's easier to ask someone over the internet than put your hand up in class! Perhaps more importantly, we'll either be able to provide you with specific answers, or your questions can be answered in way which will help other learners too.

Method 5 - Sign Up and Subscribe!

I'm sure many of you may already be doing this. Find those useful websites and blogs, and subscribe. That way you'll receive ongoing, useful information to help you improve your spoken English, as well as invitations to online events...AND the opportunity to connect with other learners around the world, and swap ideas.

You'll find many opportunities online to hear native speakers speaking in real time in broadcasts of this sort. Choosing one that's about English speaking is obviously a good choice: the host will be speaking slowly and clearly so you can hear and understand as much as possible.

It's also useful to sign up for podcasts etc that are in English but on any subject matter of interest. These will probably be more of a challenge, as you will hear English spoken at a more natural pace. However, if your goal is to learn business English, then listening in to a call about business issues will not only be a chance for you to hear the language spoken at a natural speed, you'll learn some new vocabulary too.

On international calls, listen carefully to the differences between native speakers, and those speaking English as a second language. LISTENING, as you'll already be aware, is a critical part of improving the way you SPEAK.

Above all, use this as an extra opportunity to PRACTICE wherever you can. Make sure that the knowledge in your head actually comes out of your mouth!

The author of "Confident English - improve your spoken English ...today!" at http://www.coachmeconfident.com

A Gift

During the holidays, there is nothing better than sitting down in a warm home to watch the lovely tree glisten while holding a nice warm mug of your favorite drink. Mugs are a part of the holidays, whether we realize it or not. This holiday season, you can give interesting gifts to your family and friends using mugs. If you are looking for a small and unique gift to give someone this year, consider these fun and original ideas.

To begin, you will need to gather a mug for each individual you are giving to. You can choose mugs to suit their personality. If one person loves dogs, consider getting a dog mug, while if someone else loves sports, you can get a mug with their favorite team on the front. After gathering all of the mugs, gather your favorite warm drink recipes. If you don't have any, then you will have to do a little research to find some that sound yummy. You can even test to make sure they are delicious by making them yourself before using them.

After locating all of the recipes you want to use type or write them on holiday paper and make one for each of the mugs. You should keep the paper pretty small, as it will be tied onto the mug. Using the recipes, gather everything the recipient will need for the treat. Use small sandwich bags and fill them with the exact amounts of each ingredient needed for the treat. Use them for dry ingredients like cinnamon, sugar, and spices only. If the recipe calls for liquid, like coffee, consider putting grounds or an individual packet into the mug. Milk and water can be used from their own refrigerator.

Tie each bag with a lovely little ribbon and place it into the mug. After you have everything you need for the drink in the mug, add a few sticks of cinnamon for accent. Then poke a small hole into the top of the recipe paper and loop a ribbon through it. Tie the ribbon onto the mug's handle. Although they will not be following the directions exactly, since you have included measured out portions, they will still have the recipe so they can make more if they desire. Make sure you include instructions about how to mix what you have already included in the gift as well, so they will know what to do. Finally, wrap the gift with tissue paper or cellophane wrap to complete the present.

These are fun gifts to give and receive. Those who get these will think the uniqueness is wonderful and will be excited about making their delicious treat. If you are giving one to someone in a family however, make sure you make one for each person in the family so they can enjoy them together. Using mugs for gifts is a great way to create something personal and interesting without spending a lot of money. These mugs are perfect for teachers, friends, and neighbors.

chocolates

It isn't hard to tell when spring has arrived officially. I agree that the signs aren't always clear when you look at the weather, but they are clear when you look at the produce section of your grocery store. For example, strawberries are always in abundant in the spring. You will find many grocery stores offering them at very affordable prices during this season.

Many of us get excited about the abundant number of red berries but not excited enough about eating only strawberries all week. You will find many irresistible buy-one-get-one-free offers. With such offers you might end up having more than enough berries to consume. If you don't know what to do with all these berries you can use them to make chocolate covered strawberries.

Sounds exciting? I bet.

Recently I saw an ad for chocolate covered strawberries from a local chocolate factory. But when I saw the price offered for it at reputable store, I was shocked. What I then did was to engage in price comparison. This made me to discover, to my greatest amazement, that average cost of chocolate covered strawberries is expensive. I then decided to find out how to save money and still get what I want.

I don't know why, but the expense of the treat made it much more appealing. Of course, this isn't to imply that I want to get into a chocolate covered strawberries buying frenzy. It simply means I want to find out if there was a way I could make them myself. If I succeeded I could then put the produce sales to good use.

My thought previously was that I would need expensive cocoa blocks for melting and dipping. But thankfully, I discovered that the best way for melting chocolate is via old-fashioned chips which can be bought right from your local grocery store. Of course this was really great news for me as I hate going to and fro looking for what I want, even though I have no problem going for chocolate covered strawberries that are not too expensive.

Another news I came across is the fact that I can use my microwave for this purpose. You see, in theory, making chocolate covered strawberries is easy. You should follow the necessary instructions carefully. By following the instructions carefully you will not scorch the chocolate.

For starters, fade the chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Don't forget the importance of using the defrost setting. Also, remember that when you dip your chocolate covered strawberries on high, it will scorch it. What to do? Wait until the dip is quite smooth. This can take two to three minutes.

Do you know the specific technique that people use to dip chocolate covered strawberries? Simply dip the berries into the mixture, and then shake the excess away as you withdraw it. Lastly, you can then give the chocolate covered strawberries a few whirls in clockwise direction, and then set it on wax paper. After this you are set to start enjoying the labor of your hard work!

How to make moneys easy

Brick-and-mortar jobs are feasible ways to earn a decent paycheck each month. The only problem with this kind of set-up is that you are also confined to specific tasks each day and are bound to company rules-like the perennial Bundy or the more recent fingerprint machine which will determine if you're late or not. If you type "how to make money online easily" in a search bar, it will generate thousands of results. This only proves that the internet already evolved from a mere research tool to an online job provider.

But, before you even get started with looking for a job, you should already assess what type of job you would want to land on in the Internet. And that leads us to the first tip.

Tip # 1: Assess what kind of job you want to do in the Internet

Would you want to continue your old brick-and-mortar job-only in a different environment? Or maybe you want a drastic career shift? Maybe you have a background in the sales or advertising department. So where do you want to go?

Sales will get you connected with job descriptions such as Online Ad Sales Personnel. This handles advertising-related transactions for the company website. The Creative department will lead you to fellow writers and web designers. There are tons of careers in the internet that the job descriptions already overlap with each other.

Tip # 2: Find a reputable company that hires people from your field of expertise

Companies are already shifting their hiring activities online. Besides being a cost-effective way of getting a new people of labor force, most job seekers also find online job sites an easier way to apply. So it's a mutually beneficial meeting point for employers and job seekers.

This is the way on how to make money online easily. Instead of getting involved with unscrupulous and illegal online jobs (which will probably turn out to be scams), better invest your time and effort on legal ventures.

Tip # 3: Just Do It

If you are not interested with the job, then you shouldn't go the extra mile to get it. While for some people, the paycheck matters more than any other factor that affects their work, your happiness plays a big role in making you earn more money regardless of your occupation. Therefore, the fact that you're already there says that you are capable of performing the job. Take advantage of the home-based set-up. Brew a cup of hot coffee, get some music going and just do what must be done.

By the time you are already doing the job in your chosen environment, the question of how to make money online easily is already out of the picture. The fact that you love your current job makes everything easier. Put this to the test right away and find a fulfilling career ahead of you. Online jobs are well able to provide you the same amount of pay as your former job-sometimes, even more.

preserve old photos witg negative scanner

We all have good intentions of creating some grand project with all of those old photos we have stuck in drawers or boxes sitting in the closet. But when do we really get around to it? We don't. They continue to sit and age. Photos become washed out, faded and damaged. We can save our photos and restore them with a photo negative scanner and believe it or not it's easy.

Your photos tell a story of your lifetime. A time capsule if you will of your early childhood continuing on to your most memorable moments like graduation, marriage and first child. We don't want to lose these precious momentos of our past. We want to keep them safe. Digitizing your photos with a photo negative scanner will protect your photos for a lifetime.

Not only will digitizing your photos save them, it will also allow you to organize them for easy access. It's so much easier to work on that special project when all of your photos are organized and easily accessable.

New photo scanners are easy to use with one touch scanning and auto color restoration. Some even remove dust and background scratches on photos. The things you can do with these new scannes is quite impressive. Not only can you scan and save your old photos but you can also save images from 35mm negatives and create .pdf files and other documents.

If you're into crafts you'll love having all of your photos scanned and digitized. You can use them to make scrapbook templates and backgrounds. Transferring photos to T-shirts and canvas bags for personalized gifts is a great idea. How about making a personalized quilt with all the photos of the grandchildren? The possibilites are endless.

Creating great projects from your old photos start with a good scan of your photos. Make sure you follow the directions for your scanner. You'll have better negative scans if you take the time to clean your negatives of smudges and fingerprints with a soft cloth before scanning.

Get out that old box of photos and start scanning. You'll never know what you'll be inpired to create.

Lunch more nutritious

Lunch is the forgotten stepchild of the meal day. We spend a fair amount of energy planning dinner, and we (sometimes begrudgingly) spend some energy making sure we eat breakfast. But more than one of us has looked at the clock at noon, realized we are hungry and then scarfed down whatever was available and easy.

Too often, that means fast food, vending machine food or - for some people - nothing at all. And this is truly unfortunate. Nutrition experts tell us again and again that eating three meals and two snacks a day is the surest path to good nutrition and a balanced diet. And even if you are eating lunch, a hamburger and fries doesn't get you very far on the path to good nutrition.

So, how do you change this? Lunch is a tough one for people who work outside the home. Sure, you can pack leftovers from dinner, but what if there aren't any or you didn't like dinner in the first place? Making a sandwich and adding some fruit sounds easy, but that's just one more thing to do in the morning and if you're in a rush, it's one of the first chores you'll discard.

Here are some tips to bring lunch back into focus on busy weekdays:

*Do plan for leftovers, if possible. If you like what you're making for dinner and think you wouldn't mind having it for lunch tomorrow, set aside some before everyone else gets fed. Put it into the fridge and your family will never know a portion of the entree is missing. Best of all, you've already done the work. Add a piece of fruit and yogurt and there's lunch tomorrow.

*If you must have fast food, stay away from fries, most hamburgers, anything breaded and fried and most salads. Yes, I said salads. Sure, you'll get some nutritional content from the lettuce and all the other goodies on the salad, but the dressing might have as much as 30 grams of fat in it, most of it saturated fat. Stick with light dressings or even keep a bottle of dressing in the fridge at work. Otherwise, stay away from fast food salads (and they're never that good anyway). Try a grilled chicken sandwich, sans fries.

*If you're out and about running errands and get hungry, stop at 7-11, and grab a bottle of milk, some trail mix or a granola bar and a piece of fruit. It might not be gourmet, but it will get you through to a small snack later and then dinner.

*Keep lunch items at work. There are many things you can keep in your desk that are shelf stable and still healthy. How about tuna packets and crackers? How about some fruit in its own juice? Nuts, trail mix and granola bars are all good choices. Stay away from sodium-laden canned soups and noodle bowls. Not only can they provide you with more than the maximum sodium you need for one day, they also won't provide the complex carb and protein boost you need to get you through the afternoon and keep you from stalking the vending machine later for an unhealthy snack.

marketing your business

When you feel you're stuck, you should always think to work things out. For some reason in life we're always stuck on the famous two words of "What if?" Reason and logic are like naphthalene balls which we always put away and stick to the "what if" fantasies in life.

If you've identified that the content of your website is something that needs to be touched upon, give it a serious thought. Most online businesses suffer due to the inappropriate content it has. It's as simple as advertising the right thing. If you're selling real estate and your website content suggests apples then you need to come out of the "what if" zone and start thinking.

At this time you can check out the Articles writing services in India. People offering the article writing services in India are capable and know exactly what they are working upon.

Once your content has been modified, you need to promote your work and services to achieve instantaneous and quick results. To give you a background, social media optimization is a calculated effort to attract the right traffic to your website by promoting your site through social media.

You can promote your business by adding RSS feeds, social news and sharing buttons - for example - like it, share it with your friend. Social Media Optimization in India also allows blogging, discussion threads and marking your status on social networking sites. Online Marketing in India is yet another powerful tool that you can use in India to promote your business. You can get quotes from various vendors and see how they'd be able to add value to your online business.

I hope you find this information useful.