Focus on your Pronunciation

English is an unforgiving language, at times the smallest mistake can completely change the general meaning of a phrase. Many ESL learners know first hand just how precise we must be when speaking. The slightest slip of the tongue can change the pronunciation of beach to bitch; sheet to shit; slot to slut; and piece to piss. Common mistakes such as these are very well known but for me, the ultimate pronunciation faux pas is related to the word focus. Focus, properly said, would be 'FO-KES' (phonetically written). Unfortunately, some students do not stress these sounds properly and focus becomes 'FEK-ES', which is exactly the same as saying "Fuck us".
Obviously this is highly problematic especially if you are trying to motivate a group of people and you say repeatedly: "YOU MUST FOCUS; FOCUS MORE; FOCUS HARDER." Although comical, such a grandiose mistake could really hurt your message.
So the obvious problem is pronunciation "O" becomes "E". What is the other problem? And can you give an example of the second problem?

I needz zleep

Often times students substitute the letter s with z. In colloquial English Zed or Zee has gained prominence in it's substitutionary role of the letter S. Famous bands like Boyz to Men have capitalized on this tendency that many native speakers have. It's fun to play with words, when you know the difference between them, but for Learners of English who may be unaware of these nuances, this fun can quickly become embarrassing. Key words that are commonly 'ZEDed', include: 1. sleep = zleep; 2. seat = zeat; 3. sit becomes zit and so on.

Why An Year?

There is a particularly strange fossilized English error that many native Portuguese speakers commit, the explanation of which depends on your perspective of the world. For simplicity's sake we'll call these two view points - nature and nurture. The error in question is the disproportionate number of times the article an is used before the word year.
The 'nurturites' believe this is a direct function (fault) of the over generalized rule:
y sometimes acts as a i (therefore, if this is true, logically, an must be used before words that start with y). The blame for this vulgarity is squarely placed on the shoulders of some under- qualified English teachers in their Native country. This explanation at first glance seems quite simple and straightforward, however, upon further scrutiny, some inconsistencies begin to appear when we test this hypotheses against other words that begin with y such as: yacht, yellow and yarn. Although some students continue to misuse an with words such as the ones above, the incidence is noticeably lower as compared to the number of times an year is said.
So what is it with the word year that seems to trigger the usage of the inappropriate article an instead of the correct a?
The "naturites" say they have the answer. To them it's a simple matter of transposing. The word for year in Portuguese is ano (the first two letters are phonetically equivalent to English), clearly it follows that people will think of the word ano when they want to say the English equivalent year. So, if you belong to this school of thought, when prefacing the word year the Native Portuguese speaker will instinctively choose an over a. Again, this reaction is more muted when prefacing other y-first words like: yard, yogurt, or Yankee.
Both arguments have merit and like any good argument create new questions to ponder such as: if this is true for Native Portuguese speakers could it also be valid for Native Spanish speakers?

Static Electricity Ball

If you try looking up "Static Electricity Ball" in a trusted Dictionary or website you may have a difficult time, as I found out, of actually encountering a satisfactory description of what it is. After being unable to explain what it was through my own words or through other resources our client simply said "I think I know what you mean." I was left wondering if indeed the iconic "Static Ball" of my youth still held any resonance with people today (especially GenYer's), or did I do a disservice to our city's beloved Science Centre in using 'the ball' as a symbol of the Centre.
The following day she arrived at the school with a Japanese tourist brochure that had a picture of a child, similar to the one above, doing pretty much the exact same thing. So I was left to ponder "without the smiling child with the static charged hair standing straight up, what would happen to the lonely Static Ball?" Obviously, it cannot stand alone like other great entertaining duos: Abbott and Costello; Laurel and Hardy; Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, they are a package deal. As the old Sinatra tune said ".......you can't have one without the other."

Photo courtesy of: http://www.stockphotofinder.com/stock-photos/h/hair_static.html

Superlatively Speaking

Never has the expression "it's not what you say, it's how you say it!" been so true. For Non-Native English Speakers we can add, 'and the Degree you say it". We have long known that learners from different backgrounds generally face different challenges when studying English, but for Portuguese Speakers the tendency to "superlatize" or exaggerate the weight of an action, description or emphasis is particularly acute. In a recent conversation I realized that this Luso-Brazilian inclination often migrates into English and is probably responsible for a fair number of misunderstanding when dealing with Native speakers.
The anecdote that I will share illustrates this point clearly.
A Native English Speaker was planning a trip to Brazil with his Brazilian contact. As part of the process the Canadian asked her if it were possible to ask a favour? To this request she replied "I am always making you the most favours". Naturally, the Canadian was put off by this response. After much discussion they realized that a communication breakdown had occurred. What she meant to say was, "I am always happy to do you a favour". The misuse of the the superlative the most was misinterpreted by the Native Speaker and caused some unneeded consternation for both parties. This experience has made them very conscious of how cultural influences can infiltrate language and create the most communication problems, superlatively speaking.

Should or Have to?

It was brought to my attention recently that a large number of Japanese English Language Learners often confuse the modals, should and have to. Having worked with many Japanese students for years now, I was initially skeptical about this generality since I had never noticed it before and always thought of myself as a keen observer of tendencies particular to certain groups of Learners. The individual who brought this point up is herself Japanese and admitted to often being confused as to how to use should and have to, properly. So we decided to conduct a quick unscientific survey and sequestered three other Japanese English Learners and asked them "what is the difference between should vs. have to?". And as Mama predicted, all three of them thought that should was used for certainty/necessity/obligation while have to was used for advice/opinion. I don't want to suggest that my 5 minutes of research should be taken as Law but maybe there is something to it. So, if a Japanese ESL student says to you: "I have to phone home since I should work overtime" don't misunderstand, your boss is not living with them. Now you know.

Creating New English Words

English is probably the only language that creates words and than often discards them just as quickly. A great example of this is the word "homicide bomber". It was created just after 9/11 and quickly lost traction. "Homicide Bomber" was created and disseminated by the US government to replace the word "suicide bomber", because it better explained the true nature of that act. Whether they were correct in their assertion or not is of course a matter of opinion. Nevertheless, it does provide an interesting case study for English Language Learners into a variety of topics, such as: the construction; changing meaning, and usage of words.

Why I came to Toronto

Today I heard the most honest explanation as to why an English Language Learner decided to come specifically to Toronto instead of other"English Speaking Cities". She said, quite matter-of-factly, that she picked the city because it was just 'big enough', had 'just enough' interesting places to see and it was cheaper. What a wonderfully nebulous endorsement. Quite apropos!! "Toronto the (just) Good (Enough)"

Introduction to Toronto English Consulting (TEC)

Toronto English Consulting (TEC) specializes in customizing programs for English as Second Language (ESL) international students who come to Toronto to better their English skills.
TEC will make all the necessary arrangements for students, from schooling, accommodation and transportation to activities, trips and entertainment. By being directly involved in the welfare of students our aim is to help provide a completely gratifying experience in Toronto.
This Blog will be used to post ESL specific content in the form of announcements, news items, anecdotes, insights and whatever else that will enable us to connect with English Language Learners from all over the world.