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7 Impressive Words For Your Essay Impressive

An outstanding essay requires the right language. You might have a great point but unless it’s intelligently articulated, your plea or argument will fall flat on its face (and you with it). To have a fighting chance – to impress –  the argument must be written in a persuasive way. The most common form of essay you can use would either be an “expository essay” which just gives the facts objectively or a “persuasive essay” meant to convince your reader/audience.

If your essays are factual and persuasive, that’s great, and a few tweaks can help you upgrade to the next level. Making your essay clear and concise is the primary rule, and adding a few selected words can make your essay practically jump at the reader. Or make them sit up and listen if it’s an essay that could be read aloud.

Here 7 tips that go with 7 words you can use to nail down an essay test or submit as part of requirements.

1 – METHODOLOGY

The first thing to remember when writing an essay is to use a formal language. One of the words used by academics is the word “methodology”. How were you able to come up with that plan? What made you decide on this course? Why should we grant you entry to this college? All of these questions are answerable by first stating the “methodology used” to come up with the plan/decision/proposal. So, saying that, with this “methodology” or with this method of analysis”. Whether giving a proposal, a review, or a conclusion, you attract the immediate attention of academics by using as an introduction ”my methodology”.

Example: The methodology I used for this essay gave me a good basis for sound deductions.

2 – INDEED

Adverb: used to emphasize a statement or response confirming something already suggested.

Using this word at the beginning of a sentence makes your audience feel that whatever you say next is agreeable, popular and a general statement that most will agree with. This word leaves no room for doubt as “indeed” shows a fair weighing of opposite data and by saying, “Indeed”, you imply that you have weighed the opposite sides fairly and has come to that conclusion. People listening or reading this word “Indeed” as an introduction will let people know you are 100% sure of what you are saying.

Example: Indeed the benefits of a college course cannot be fully realized until a full investigation is completed.

3 – STRATEGIC

Noun: carefully designed or planned to serve a particular purpose or advantage

Only a few would use this word in everyday conversations, but once you do, you distinguish yourself as one of the few. Myriad is an applicable adjective for many nouns of an uncountable number and by saying thus, panel members became aware of your grasp of the English language.

Example: Among the myriad forms of entertainment, I would choose something which will help me know a new language.

4 – UNDERPINNING

Noun: or a set of ideas, motives, or devices that justify or form the basis for something

Here’s another impressive word that can help solidify your essay is “underpinning”. It gets its meaning from the material and construction (such as a foundation) used for support of a structure.  It is a noun and can be used at the start of a paragraph to enumerate the basis by which you suggest a solution.

Example: The underpinning of this proposal is the many complaints received from the survey.”

5 – SALIENT

Adjective: most noticeable, urgent or most important

This is not a usual word that can be used in casual conversation but when used in an essay, it gives an aura of knowledgeability. The word itself means most noticeable, urgent or very important. It comes from the noun meaning a piece of land or section of fortification that juts out to form an angle.

Example: The salient points tackled by this essay brings to mind the difficulties of applying for entrance to this college.

6 – COMPELLING

Adjective: evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way.

Here is another impressive word that you can use to wrap up your essay. This strong word will make your audience know you are taking a stand and not mincing words but bravely stating which evidence is “compelling” enough to require the proposed action.

Example: “This compelling evidence should make us take notice that changes in the system are needed.”

7 – UNEQUIVOCAL

Adjective: Leaving no doubt; unambiguous.

This word signals to the reader that you are rounding off your argument and if they haven’t gotten a drift of what you are trying to say, this is the time to wrap everything up for emphasis. The beauty of an argument is that if you argue correctly, you’re never wrong. A mature society understands that at the heart of democracy is the argument. Thus, if you can write an essay with these impressive words, then you have already won the argument and defeated your opponent.

Example:

With the arguments presented, the unequivocal conclusion is that we are denied the right to choose.

A significant majority of students still take the essay exams each year. Writing an essay might pose a conundrum for students but by building up your vocabulary of impressive words with constant usage, you are well on your way to getting the results you want.

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9 Most Common Grammar Mistakes Students Make

English is commonly perceived as an easy language to learn, but that doesn’t mean you are protected from making these nine common grammar mistakes. Check them out to make sure your English is as polished as it can be.

1. Subject-Verb Agreement

Different languages have different rules about subject-verb agreement, however, when speaking or writing in English you have to make sure the subject and the verb in a sentence are either both singular or both plural. Have a look at the examples below to see what we mean:

Examples:  The dog always barks at the postman. / Dogs and wolves like to howl at the moon.

As you can see when you refer to one dog you have to use the third person singular form of the verb, while when you’re referring to a group of dogs you have to use the third person plural form of the verb.

2. Its versus It’s

One of the most common difficulties students experience when learning English is making the decision about whether or not to use an apostrophe. It is actually a very easy differentiation – when you talk about possession you don’t need the apostrophe, and when you want to say something is or has you put the apostrophe

Example: The kid lost its hat. It’s a blue hat.

The kid has possession over the hat, which is why you should not put an apostrophe in the first sentence. However, in the second sentence, the subject is the hat itself, which means you are actually saying “It is a blue hat”, so you need the apostrophe in that case.

3. Adjective order

If you don’t want to sound like a Martian, you have to order your adjectives correctly. There is a simple order, which adjectives in English follow. Here it is:

Quantity or number

Quality or opinion

Size

Age

Shape

Colour

Proper adjective (often nationality, other places of origin, or material)

Purpose of qualifier

The only way to make sure you order your adjectives correctly is to remember this list. An easy way to do this is to remember the first letters of each type of adjective. This gives you the following: OSASCOMP, or in other words – Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Color, Origin, Material, Purpose. If remembering boring combinations of letters is hard for you, associate them a sentence like this:

On Sunday And Saturday Cool Oysters Make Parties

4. Switching up words because they sound similar

Even when you’re writing in English there is always a chance you might switch up accept and except. They sound almost the same but have completely different meanings, so you have to make sure you are using the right words. Check out the examples below:

You need to accept the invitation in order to attend the party.

Most people can attend the party, except for those without an invitation.

5. Run-on sentences

Run-on sentences are one of the most difficult things for students to get away from. English allows speakers and writers to include an indefinite number of clauses to a sentence, but this means you are in a great risk of creating a long, boring sentence, without any meaning. Try to stay away from sentences like this one:

Students can take up any class they like, they need to sign up for it beforehand.

To avoid run-on sentences, try to separate independent clauses into separate sentences. The example below will sound much better if it is structured like this:

Students can take up any class they like. They need to sign up for it beforehand.

6. Sentence Sprawl

Building on the problem with run-on sentences, a sentence sprawl means that you have included too many equally important clauses to your sentence, so it becomes hard to read and meaningless. Here is an example of a sentence sprawl:

A class had been planned for Wednesday, November 18, but some people were not going to be available at that time, so the university rescheduled it for Friday, November 20, and then everyone would be able to attend.

There is nothing grammatically wrong with this sentence, but it sounds heavy, and many people might get confused when reading it. It is always advisable to split such sentences, in order to improve the readability of your texts.

7.  Split Infinitives

Split infinitives usually occur when you want to enhance the meaning of an infinitive verb by adding an adverb to it. Unfortunately, if you place the adverb between the “to” and the verb, you are creating a split infinitive, which sounds a little sloppy in English. Check out these examples of split infinitives, and read them out loud, to see what we mean.

He used to secretly talk to her.

I have to really watch how they behave.

Many experts believe these sentences would sound way better without the split infinitive, and written like this:

He secretly used to talk to her

I really have to watch how they behave.

8. There/their/they’re

Similar to accept and except, these three words are often misused because they sound almost the same. The proper usage is as follows:

There is a mouse in my apartment.

Their apartment is more spacious than mine.

They’re worried about a mouse infestation in the apartment.

In simple terms, there is used to refer to a place, their is used to state someone has possession over something, and they’re is the short form of writing they are.

9. Me, Myself and I

Using the right pronoun when referring to yourself in a sentence is one of the most important things you should learn if you want to be fluent in English. This is a very common mistake even with native speakers. Check out these examples to get a grasp of how these personal pronouns are used:

Correct usage of the subject pronoun I:

I spoke to my father on Sunday.

My father and I spoke on Saturday.

Correct usage of the object pronoun Me:

My father asked me a question.

My father got me a birthday present.

Correct usage of the reflexive pronoun Myself:

I bought myself a birthday present.

I did all the cleaning by myself.

As you can see these are three different types of pronouns, and they should be used accordingly.

How will avoiding these errors help you?

Once you get the hang of all these common grammar mistakes and start excluding them from your speech and writing, your English fluency will improve dramatically. It is important to keep track of such grammar rules because a rich vocabulary is not enough if you want to consider yourself fluent in English.

Of course, we are always available to help you if you want to go a step further and improve your English proficiency even more. Check out the rest of our informational pieces, and the services we provide if you are looking to better your understanding and use of this amazing language.

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How to Improve Your Speaking Skills in 2019

“Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself” is Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address. He goes on to say, “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

In preparing for a speech, as most likely each one will at some period of our lives, whether in a private gathering or a big conference, that fear bug bites you. While fear is good to a point where it stimulates you to action, numbing fear is the worst kind to hit us when you’re there on the podium and everyone is waiting.

Should this even happen? No, if you have taken the effort to prepare beforehand and evaluated where the fault line lies and how to avoid such a disaster. Self-evaluation is the best preparation for any speaker, and if you start right now, your improvement will be underway.

#1 Are you a Good Listener?

Have you heard it said: “If you make listening and observation your occupation, you will gain much more than you can by talk.” Speaking is a skill that grows from what you hear, not only what you already thought you knew. You’ll be surprised what you can learn if you just stop and listen to what another person has to say. This requires patience and focus, two traits which are also essential for a seasoned speaker.

Antagonism is the worst stance that a speaker should take, and so, it is expedient that you think before you say anything, and it would be best to hear first the other side before thinking. Overthinking usually gets you in the wrong place and puts you at a disadvantage.

Two simple solutions are proposed for this problem:

First, practice listening EVERY DAY. All you need is 10-15 minutes per day to develop your listening skills. You can get free English lessons on websites like EnglishForward.com and listen to them while driving, commuting, exercising, or doing housework.

Next, know some expressions for clarification of a point made:

Beg your pardon?

Kindly repeat that, please?

Could you say that again, please?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but did you say that…?

#2 How extensive is your vocabulary?

When you were starting out as a student/learner of a new language, you were told to improve your vocabulary. Nothing will make you a better reader and communicator than having the ability to understand new words and using the same words every day until it becomes part of your vocabulary. If you have lagged behind, go through that routine again of learning new words and using them.

Noting what the root of a word is can give you a hint of what it could mean. Understanding and memorizing vocabulary roots, prefixes and suffixes is a surefire way of building your vocabulary fast. Another way is to learn words is to attach them to a place and have a picture of the object in your mind, like in a picture book.

For example, you are with English-speaking friends in a forum like English Forward and they are talking about what they had for lunch. As they describe their meal in words, try to imagine and ask questions about that particular dish and what it contains, as much detail as you need to have that picture in your mind.

#3 Can you pronounce correctly?

“If speaking is silver, then listening is gold.” – Turkish Proverb

While there’s a benefit in knowing the word, the greater benefit would be to listen how it is pronounced and to imitate the correct pronunciation and keep repeating until you’ve perfected. Certain words can have a different meaning when pronounced differently. A wrong pronunciation can lead to a misunderstanding and worse, a gap or a fight.

One way to improve your pronunciation is to keep practicing your listening. The more you listen to English, the more your pronunciation will naturally get closer and closer to native pronunciation. There are courses offered for helping with this, but practicing pronunciation by recording and playback on your mobile phone would be a great habit for improving your English diction.

#4 How confident are you?

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.”

So, you’re back to square one, even after all the equipping skills you’ve developed. Is that right? What’s wrong with this picture?

As stated earlier, FEAR is the enemy of any endeavor. Whether you have to give a speech, have a job that requires you speak publicly, or simply want to improve your overall speaking patterns, there are several methods available to conquer that fear but you do not expect the results overnight.

First, be DILIGENT at communicating. Knowing that’s your goal, you don’t need to be so focused on the grammar, but more on the flow of thought. If the speech is anything you are given time to prepare, remember to cover the 5 W and 1 H – Who, Where, When, What, Why and How. Having that data as accurately as you can is already half the battle won.

Second, be STRAIGHTFORWARD. No beating around the bush, but be open and transparent so you gain credibility. The more words you weave around the issue, the more you lose sight of your goal and the support of your audience. It would help to have an outline ready so you don’t drift off-topic and lose the targeted sentiment.

Third, PRACTICE SPEAKING English as much as possible even when there is no need for it yet. Be in top speaking form by daily practice. Speak in front of a mirror, or with trusted friends and family. Take your time to start speaking.

Estimate the time you need for each major point. It’s extremely important to practice in low-pressure situations as much as possible to build your confidence so that you will be comfortable speaking English in a more “high-pressure” situation (like a teleconference, presentation, or job interview).

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New Job Opportunity Abroad? How to Prepare for that Big Move

Some people categorize the levels of development, and truly believe that job opportunity abroad is one of the highest you can achieve. It does take enormous courage and dedication to stick to the process and go through every stage of the adjustment.

But before you go, prepare yourself physically and mentally to face intercultural challenges along the way.

Learn how to get along with local communities

It’s always so different on the other side of the world. You’ll meet cultural differences that are hard to understand and overcome.

You are going to be living in that area for at least two years, aren’t you? So why don’t you learn how to blend in with the locals?

The best thing to do is to prepare yourself for the relocation months ahead.

Join forums and group chats, communities that can help you with street addresses, traditions, sensitive cultural subjects, etc.

Find online friends in the area you’re relocating to so that you won’t feel alone.

Ask others about their experience with living in that particular country.

Make your stay more comfortable by adjusting to their culture.

Pack your English classes with you

English is an international language, and you can still communicate with local people with simple English.

Chances are, your study abroad will revolve all around the English language. So you’ll need your teacher with you all the time.

Since we haven’t figured out how to shrink people down and carry them around our backpacks, yet, you’ll have to go with the internet and the online communities.

Join forums, video classes, chats and make friends you can chat with in English.

Get comfortable with local customs and prepare for a cultural shock

It takes several stages to get used to new surroundings:

The Honeymoon Stage – Most overwhelming stage. You will feel the need to try everything, visit every sightseeing and be active all day long. This stage doesn’t last for a long time on long-term trips, so use your emotions sparingly.

The Frustration Stage – Most challenging stage, so get ready! Frustration comes from an often misunderstanding of cultural differences, signs, and language. Don’t worry; you’ll soon transform into the adjustment stage.

The Adjustment Stage – You will begin to feel more familiar with the surroundings, culture, and people who you couldn’t understand before. Navigation becomes easier, and you don’t need to have a “nanny” every time.

The Acceptance Stage  – After some weeks, months or even years, you’ll come to terms. You won’t be living in a different country anymore, it’ll feel like home soon enough.

Once you overcome every obstacle that lies ahead in your journey of stepping out of the comfort zone, there’s nothing actually that can mess with your development process.

Remember always to keep your brain fed and happy. English Forward can be your travel guide when you find yourself in difficult conversations. Know that in this digital era, you’re never alone!

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16 Tips Can Help You Prepare And Ace The IELTS Exam

The IELTS exam is one of the most widely recognized certifications you can get to prove your knowledge of the English language. There are four general sections on the exam – reading, listening, writing, and speaking.

As IELTS is a very serious assessment, which requires a lot of preparation we’ve compiled a list of 16 beneficial practices which can help you during your studies for the exam.

Listening

One of the best ways to prepare for the listening section of the exam is to actually practice listening. This could be in the form of talking to a long-distance friend over the phone, listening to radio shows and podcasts, or even audio books.

This will help you get acquainted with the flow and intonation of the English language.

Practice extracting information from audio samples. The purpose of the listening tasks during an IELTS exam is to assess the amount of information you can get from an audio source.

This is why it is very helpful to try and note down details and important information while you are listening to English speakers so that you are better prepared for the questions on the actual exam.

Reading

There is no guarantee of what kind of text you’re going to get on your IELTS exam, so one of the best ways to prepare is to go through a collection of different types of texts so that you become familiar with their structure.  

Find some interesting examples from different media – a newspaper article, a scientific journal, a piece of fiction. The more texts you explore, the better prepared you will be for the reading section on your exam.

Annotate! This is one of the most important skills the IELTS exam is trying to assess. When you start reading your selection of texts, try annotating important details as you go by.

This will help you with extracting the valuable information, and the faster you can do that, the easier it will be for you to answer the question s on the exam.

Writing

The writing part of the exam is one of the more complicated to prepare for, as all you can do is write. The best way to polish your writing in English is to write and edit your essays.

One of the best ways to improve your grammar, sentence structure, and writing style is to keep writing and have someone correct your essays.

We know writing can be a tedious and tiring process, so the other thing you can do to prepare for the writing section of the IELTS exam, except for writing, is to read example essays.

This can help you a lot, as you will see examples of the way essays are structured, the way information is presented, and the type of argumentation the IELTS exam requires.

Speaking

The most common mistake students make during the speaking section of the exam is being laconic or using very few words. Expand your vocabulary and use more words.

While speaking in a synthesized manner is usually a virtue, during the IELTS exam you have to prove the variety of your vocabulary, so whenever you are answering questions, even the simple introductory ones, try to include some more details in your sentences.

Try and beat the pressure! While we understand why the speaking section may make you nervous, you should do your best to not panic.

Answering promptly and without interruptions is one of the biggest indications that you are fluent in a language. This is why you should try and think of this as a normal conversation, which flows easily.

The IELTS exam is one of the best ways to prove your proficiency in English, however, it takes some preparation.

Study hard, and follow these tips to make sure you get the best possible score on your exam!

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Why English Is The Dominant Business Language

English is the most widespread language for communication, which makes it a top choice when deciding what language to study with different purposes. While the popularity of the language is undoubted, many wonder why this is, in fact, the case.

Historical domination, political and geographic factors

Languages, and especially their popularity, are largely affected by political and geographic factors. Because of this dependency, English has become the most widespread language in the world.

The British and American colonization resulted in a large number of the world’s population speaking English as a native language. The United Kingdom and the United States are two of the main political powers in the world, which means that business is thriving there. Consequently, English has become the main engine for communication in the business sphere.

The dominant language of more than 60 nations worldwide

Not only that, but English is the dominant language of more than 60 nations worldwide, and according to a British Council report, it is expected that by 2020, more than two billion people will be fluent English speakers. This means that around a quarter of the world population will be able to communicate freely through a language that is not always their native one.

While political and historical factors have caused English to be so widespread across the globe, nowadays the language becomes more and more popular because of its importance to business growth and communication.

English allows for the global development of business

English is the only language that has attracted more than one billion learners globally, which is no surprise, considering the opportunities this language reveals for businesses.

The fact that so many people are fluent in English allows for easier communication between people from different countries, even if their native languages are different. This facilitates an easy medium for discussions and negotiations, which are the main aspects of business relationships.

Preferred Language by International Businesses

Many international companies have adopted English as the primary language they work with, even as the origin of these companies is not from an English speaking country. Some of the most prominent examples of such companies include Nokia (Finland) and Airbus (France).

English is the most popular language globally, and this automatically makes it a dominant language in the business world, as it allows companies to reach the largest number of potential customers. Additionally, being a fluent speaker will aid negotiations with potential partners, which is another good way to boost your business.

Don’t hesitate to start learning English – this will definitely boost your business skills

English is undoubtedly the most popular language on Earth, and once you master it you will eliminate any boundary your business previously had in terms of collaboration with partners from around the world.

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5 Tips To Improve Your Listening

The art of listening has intrigued philosophers, educators, scientists and thought leaders since the beginning of communication and language.

Many of them have written books on the subject with titles such as the “5 tips to improve your listening”, “The one thing you need to do to become a better listener”, “17 steps to listening and remembering “, “How to Become a Better Listener: 10 Simple Tips“  and other more varied titles.

I love this quote by Winston Churchill.

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen “

Why do we have this obsession with listening, and is improving listening as easy as following a system to increase the retention of what we have heard?

Is it as easy as…1,2,3,4,5?

You’ve probably heard the expression “hard of hearing.” I think when learning English, many students are rather “hard of listening.”

How would you describe the difference between hearing and listening?

Hearing is simply the act of perceiving sound by the ear. Hearing simply happens unless you are hearing-impaired. It is passive and one of our five senses.

A Hearing is a Sense. Listening is a Skill.

Listening, however, is a conscious decision, and requires concentration so that your brain processes meaning from words and sentences and translates them into understanding, which you can use as a stimulus for appropriate responses, either active or passive.

Listening turns hearing into learning.

There are many more people alive today that can “hear” in English as opposed to those that can “listen” in English.

A great example of this is our popular music culture, where you can walk into a bar in Bolivia, or a supermarket in Serbia, and hear people that cannot speak English fluently singing along to well-known songs in English.

When I think back to my primary school days, I remember Mrs. Kay, my 5th-grade teacher had a sign above the blackboard that read “Listen and silent are spelled with the same letters.”

Her class was a “silent” classroom, as she thought if we were silent we were listening to her. (haha!)

Most often I was only “hearing” her…and picked up snippets of the lesson as my concentration wavered in and out of what was interesting me at the time…what was in my lunch sandwiches, the girl in the front row, going fishing after school, shooting a rubber band at my friend’s ear…

Listening is a learned skill, and if coupled with something you are interested in and the removal of distractions, it is extremely easy to do.

This is how I listen…

I set aside a dedicated time (say an hour) that I will spend listening to. Have you ever noticed how much you get done when you’re on an airplane because you’re offline and there are no other distractions, from work colleagues telephone calls or other interactions? You need to set it up so that you can get into the zone, but this takes time and requires focus to avoid distractions. Your alone time doesn’t have to be in the early hours of the morning when nobody else is awake (my preference), but you can set up a rule that set parameters that allow you to carve out time that can be dedicated to listening. In this way, you find that your listening “efficiency” is easily doubled.

I remove all distractions (cellphone, social media, friends, TV, etc) and only have the media I am using to listen to available during that time. This can be a great challenge if you have communication addiction, and the only way to make this period and unbroken and effective is to avoid activities that interrupt your listening completely. And you need to get rid of it –  during that time it means letting go of instant messages phone calls, email meetings and anything else that creates noise. You will be amazed at your increase in listening productivity.  Interruption is the enemy of listening.

I always have a clear agenda, so that I start with a specific listening objective in mind and at the end of the time evaluate how successful I’ve been in achieving that objective. Set a timer to measure your dedicated hour or whatever period time you’ve decided to set aside for listening and when it rings listening is over. Period.

I use playback to re-listen to important points. Have a notepad ready to make notes and highlight certain points.

Repeat the important points allowed to reinforce them and so that you can hear them in your voice.

Next step to accomplish your goal…

Listening is like any task you set out to achieve – once you’re able to build momentum it will encourage you to move forward at a far quicker pace. No one likes to work on an open-ended project and be stuck in that mode indefinitely, because eventually it will kill your mojo and lead to burnout.

To increase your motivation get into the habit of setting small goals that you can achieve in your allocated time, and accomplish them. Even a tiny improvement can you give you the encouragement you need to move onto the next step to accomplish your goal.

Here we are looking for quick wins. That will fuel your motivation. It’ll keep you going. It will drive you.

The way to achieve this motivation is to start, and then when you have done your exercise to move onto the next piece and keep repeating this process.

Step by step. And you will get better.

Listening is an art, not a science. It is a skill you can learn, and get good at. It is the shortcut to communication, relationships, and success.

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How To Build Vocabulary Faster

What does anyone need to build vocabulary in the first place? Well, it’s like this: when starting out as a new English learner, you are like a baby walking on all fours, then as a toddler, you start testing your feet to walk, carefully, so as not to fall flat on your face.

Thus, in learning English, whether writing or speaking, you cannot be always on all fours – meaning struggling with a few words to express yourself. If you have that inclination at all of speaking gracefully, assuredly, no longer a toddler, but an adult speaker, then this is the only way – build your vocabulary.

Getting to the Root

The word “vocabulary” itself can be our starting point in growing. The word has 5 syllables – vo·cab·u·lar·y –  and pronounced like this /vōˈkabyəˌlerē/. It’s a noun which means that it can have the positions of a noun in a sentence, like this, “Vocabulary needs daily addition”. Its meanings come next, which are mainly the way someone can use them to refer to other words:

the body of words used in a particular language. Synonyms: lexicon, word stock, lexis “they are intelligent people with an extensive vocabulary”

words used on a particular occasion or in a particular sphere. “the vocabulary of law”

the body of words known to an individual person.

As students/learners of a new language, you need to develop the skills to improve your vocabulary because nothing will make you a better reader and communicator than having the ability to understand new words. The prescribed and logical way is to look at the root of the word. Noting what the root of a word is can give you a hint of what it could mean. Understanding and memorizing vocabulary roots, prefixes and suffixes is a surefire way of building your vocabulary fast.

The root word lingual could have the prefix bi- added to it to make the word bilingual.’Bi’ means two and ‘lingual’ means pertaining to language. Someone who is bilingual is fluent in two languages. Some root words can have both prefixes and suffixes attached to them to turn them into words with different meanings.

All this knowledge or body of words is just a preparation for what comes next, usage of the words. Nothing else can make you walk faster than walking, right? The same thing with speaking and writing in the English language, you need to be testing how firmly you can stand on the word or how you can use it confidently in your everyday language. There can be many ways but three methods are my main preferences.

Visualize the Word

As you use the words, try visualizing it in a creative way, or by visual association. When your mind can retain the image, then in the same manner, by extension, your mind can retain the word and all the other things associated with it – what is the root word, how to say the word, what the word means and finally, how to use it. Everything ties up faster when you can put the word in an image.

Like walking, building a vocabulary is a very personal matter and the manner of growing can be slow or fast as a matter of personal choice. As for walking, the more you talk, the more you grow confident and at ease with words or groups of words. There may be slip ups but hey, who does not commit grammar errors or wrong word choices? I would rather scrape my knee in trying to run than be lame in failing to use my feet.

Contextualize the Word

Have you heard the expression, “Don’t take the word out of context”? Basically, contextualization is putting the word in its right perspective. Contextualization aids comprehension. For example, an arithmetic problem may not seem very practical until it is seen within a story problem. To contextualize the word means to find out about the events in which the word was first used, and to relate that word to the situation in which something happens.

You can also take a word from one context and apply it to another. Thus the crane, meaning lifting machine, got its name from the long-necked bird, and the computer mouse was named after the long-tailed animal. So, it’s essential to know the circumstances or conditions when the word was first used, the “context” of the word. This might seem tedious but really practical and could turn up to be a worthwhile habit for growing your vocabulary.

Read, Read, Read and make Google your friend…

English speakers are adding new words at a rate of around 1,000 a year. Recent dictionary debutants include a Brexit, blog, crowdfunding, hackathon, e-marketing, sudoku, and twerk. The Global Language Monitor reports that around 5,400 new words are created every year although only 1,000 makes it into print.

How do you expect to cope if that’s the case? Simply “get on the road”, or read any simple news on the Internet, get on forums where you can meet other language learners – English Forward, for one – and open your eyes with interest. Read.

By reading a lot of books, you are repeatedly exposed to irregularly spelled, highly frequent sight words, and as a result of this repetition, you can automatically learn sight words. Therefore, irregularly spelled sight words can be learned from wide, independent reading of books. However, if you struggle with decoding a word, you need to spend a lot of time practicing reading books, and thus, encounter irregularly spelled sight words as often.

A study revealed that one-third of beginning readers’ texts are mostly comprised of familiar, high-frequency words such as “the” and “of,” and almost half of the words in print are comprised of the 100 most common words. These words need to be learned to the point of automaticity so that smooth, fluent word recognition and reading can take place. This step comes as the fourth means of building your vocabulary if you decide to take these steps further.

Get the habit of noting down every new word you encounter in a compact notebook or your mobile note feature (if it has one). Make a friend of Google and ask questions about new words. There’s actually no fast way in building your vocabulary but to do it methodically, slowly at first, with the strategies suggested, and with constant usage in speech, writing and reading, in no time at all, you’d be “running with ease.”

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The Top 20 Most Beautiful English Words

There is a popular English saying that “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder“.This implies that one of the great marvels of life is that each one of us sees things differently, and each one of us has different things that we find beautiful.

So when I say “sunset”, a word describing an event, based on your experience, where you live, what you love, what you do and what defines “sunset” to you, the word will invoke different responses and feelings in you.

The word might conjure up images and memories of wonderful sunsets that you spent with loved ones, of red and orange hues as the sun sinks down over the ocean and your world is bathed in soft warm light and everything is at peace.

It brings back hundreds of happy memories for me as it is a very special time of day to me.

I’m going to describe some of the words that I find beautiful and useful, and hope you will be able to use them in your life because I think that beauty can also be useful and the wonderful thing about learning English is that words can be used to describe and connect each one of us to other people. Here’s how I’ve grouped them:

Four distinct groups of beautiful English words

Words that create pictures in my mind

Words that create a human connection

Words that ripple beautifully off my tongue

Words that are aspirational

Group 1: Picture words

Banked – the conscious checking off or “depositing “ of a good memory, relationship or experience into my memory bank which confirms to me that life is good

Time – how we spend our days

Pristine – clean and fresh as if new, untouched, spotless as in a wave at the sea

Waves – a long body of water curling into an arched form and breaking on the seashore

Memories – something special remembered from the past, a person or event, happy thoughts

Group 2: Connection Words

Hope – a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

Empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person or animal.

Love – an intense feeling of deep affection you have for something

Gratitude – the quality of being thankful, readiness to show appreciation and return kindness.

Music – something that is very pleasant or gratifying to hear or discover. Often connects memories

Group 3: Words that ripple beautifully off my tongue

Blissfulness – full of and abounding in joy.

Epiphany – a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization.

Effervescent – vivacious and enthusiastic, giving off bubbles; fizzy.

Awesomeness – an immeasurable amount of wonder produced by the word

Eloquence – fluent or persuasive speaking or writing. Having command of a language

Onomatopoeia – the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo, sizzle, ping pong, pitter patter, achoo, boo-hoo ).

Sumptuous – splendid and expensive-looking  e.g “the banquet was a sumptuous, luxurious meal”

Group 4: Aspirational Words

Daring – said of an adventurous or audaciously bold action or person

Eagerness – enthusiasm to do or to have something; when you show keenness, fervor, passion, zest, and ardor.

Tranquility – when you’re truly at peace and in touch with yourself, and nothing anyone says or does bother you, and no negativity or drama can touch you.

There are so many beautiful words in the English language. I encourage you to find words that are beautiful to you and make them a part of your daily conversation.

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How Being Bilingual Makes You Smarter

I’d like you to come along with me on a thought journey, as we explore how learning English as your second language, and becoming bilingual can help you become smarter, more self-assured, and advance your progress towards success.

There are many articles written and extensive research has been done on how being bilingual can make you smarter, and how it’s good for your brain, but this article is not intended to corroborate or dispute that idea.

What I’d like to explore is whether you appear to be smarter to others because you are bilingual.

Something I like to do with all of my goals in life is to start with the end in mind. And learning English is no different…so what does the end look like for you on your English language journey? Once you’re proficient at English… do you see yourself as being smarter?

Certainly, all of these occupations require English proficiency, to varying degrees.

A checkout teller at the convenience store, taking a pizza order at the call center, a dietitian engaging with a client and preparing meal plans, a doctor discussing a medical journal, a businessman delivering a speech etc

What level of English proficiency do you need to be successful?

Please bear with me as I take you through a short story that illustrates how being bilingual changes the way people see and interact with you.

An excerpt taken from the book “George and I”, an incredible story of the bond between a man (me) and his dog (George)

As I drive down the dusty, rutted dirt track into Folweni (Umlazi, South Africa), I can see Zebulon’s tavern in the distance. Probably built 20 years ago out of hollow brick blocks and corrugated iron sheeting, the building reminds me a lot of the trading stores built by the Portuguese traders in Mozambique. Square in shape with a flat roof, it had a red steel 20-foot refrigerated container attached to the one side.

This was the cold room for the huge amount of beer Zebulon, the tavern owner, sold.

The building is divided in two by a 1.2m high brick wall, on top of which sits a steel palisade barrier, extending up to the ceiling, designed to keep the drunken customers away from the staff and stock.

My pool table and jukebox are amongst the drunken customers. The jukebox is so loud in the tavern it’s a wonder anyone can be heard over the music to place an order.

It’s 1998 and the township is a time bomb, quietly ticking away until it explodes. The tension is tangible and it’s not a pleasant place to work in. I can’t imagine what it’s like to live in.

In the last three months, seven of the tavern owners where I have a pool table placed have been brutally murdered, the result of faction fighting and territorial disputes. I am sick and tired of the tension and have three pool tables left to uplift and move out of the area. We had had a great time in Folweni in previous years. The returns were good and George (a large staffie cross pitbull) had become something of a legend to the children that lived in that township.

As we approach the store, I can see children running as they recognise the bakkie (pickup truck). Above the diesel engine, the high pitched voices can be faintly heard shouting “George ufikile” (George has arrived). By the time we approach the store we have a long tail of children following us, laughing and hitting the side of the bakkie, shouting “George ufikile” (George has arrived). There are about 80 children amassed at the store entrance waiting for George. As we pull up and I get out the crowd grows suddenly quiet…and I greet the kids and ask “Who wants to see the dog that speaks three languages “Tina” (we do) they shout. I call to George in Zulu “puma George” (get out George) and George leaps out of the bakkie to the ground, to oohs and ahhs from the crowd. He is not very interested in the kids, stiffing around, and cocking his leg on the tyre.

“Speak in English” the children shout, “Speak in Afrikaans”, “Speak in Zulu”

You see, I had told the children on previous visits that George is the only dog in the world that can speak in three languages. Then I would say “Sit” in Zulu and George would sit. I would say “Lie down” in Afrikaans and George would lie down. And so on. George knew dozens of commends in the three languages.

The kids thought this was the most amazing thing they had ever seen. The children loved throwing a stick for George and they all screamed at once for George to fetch in three languages. They sounded like a swarm of bees as they shouted to him. George would fetch regardless and never tired of their game. As he stood in front of them with the stick in his mouth they’d be bunched up tightly together, the kids at the back pushing forward to try and touch George while the kids at the front pushed back away from him, still a little scared of him. When a child plucked up the courage to pick up the stick George had dropped, and threw it for him the game would start all over again, and he would rush off to fetch, barking madly.

“Boss, ngqela ishumi” they shout (please a 1 rand coin) “Dlala ijukebox” (we want to play a song on the jukebox) The R1 would go into the coin slot, and as the pulsing music started, the kids would start moving, a mass of animated, gyrating happy dancers, each trying to outdo the other with the craziest moves, while George rushed around them barking, enjoying the fun.

George was a great dancer and they chased him round, screaming and shouting, such a wonderful thing to see. In amongst the filth and poverty, George was a bilingual entertainer and the kids loved him.

The kids thought George was smart because he could speak three languages. So in essence, he projected his intelligence onto his audience by his knowledge of languages and in return received adulation, praise and respect because of what he knew.

I use this story to illustrate to you how  being bilingual can impact the way people see you and treat you.

Is this the same for humans? Let’s think about this for a moment.

The last time you got into an Uber in Paris, or asked for directions in Rome, did you greet the driver with a “Hello”, a “Bonjour” or a “Ciao”?

Even the slightest effort in trying to learn someone else’s language changes the way the person interacts with you.

And if you know a handful of phrases, and can converse even in the most basic terms, it endears you to the person you’re interacting with.

I’d like to ask you this question: if being bilingual makes you smarter, HOW smart do you need to be to achieve YOUR definition of success? And what is your definition of success?

What are the different levels of English, and at what point are you considered bilingual?

The dictionary definition of “bilingual” is “using or able to use two languages with equal fluency.”

In layman’s terms this means:

You should be able to go through your day (ordering a pizza, pub crawling, making love, reading a newspaper, watching a movie etc) without any hesitation or difficulty, and be able to accurately describe your experience the following day to a native English speaker (the pub crawl may be a challenge though!)

Having an accent or not is of no consequence, as long as it doesn’t confuse or amuse your audience.

In addition, watching a TV show with friends, discussing the recipes and ingredients afterwards, joking and winning a game of Scrabble would all indicate your proficiency with English.

In a work setting, having a discussion and briefing a colleague about project detail, preparing and delivering a fifteen minute speech to a group of native English coworkers and answering any questions afterwards would indicate you are fluent in English.

We love watching people progress with their proficiency of the English language, and have excellent teachers, linguists and trainers to help you progress and fast as you want to.

Many of our students use our chat https://t.me/EnglishForwardCommunity as a daily practice to improve their communication skills in a non threatening, encouraging environment.

These are the steps I’d recommend to you to accelerate your proficiency:

Decide on what level of English you need to achieve success

Work out a plan of action to get you to your goal or what your think success is for you.

Practice chatting to other learners daily, and make communicating in English a habit in your life.

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Blockchain  Allows Students Greater Autonomy Over their Education

When you look at the big picture of where the money is currently flowing, you realize there were a lot of people who bought bitcoin at $10, or ether at $0.30, and these people now have loads of money. Just this year, the market cap of all cryptocurrencies has increased $180,000,000,000. So, what do you do?

There was a crypto millionaire who encouraged me, “Figure out what you need to learn so you can provide services and help these new millionaires, or figure out a way that you can contribute to this field with the talents you already have.” Yes, that’s a good idea, siphon off some of this money for me, but how about those who are not in the right path of where the money flows?

The great thing about blockchain is it is really easy to enter. Never before has there been a revolution this size, where the best way to learn about it is on the internet and available to almost anyone. This is exactly what you want. Why would you go to school and get a degree, where you are competing in an established field with thousands of other graduates?

Verification of language learning and accreditation

One thing that is vital for a student is the preservation of records for completed studies or progress towards completed studies, something that when maintained by a traditional central authority can be lost or altered.

Learning accreditation is hard to verify and often businesses and learning institutions are reliant on the information was given by applicants looking for a study or job placements, or the agents looking to place the applicant.

Research indicates that one in four CV’s have some falsified information in them. Qualifications are actually very hard to verify, take up valuable time and man hours for employers and higher education institutions, and can be manipulated by different parties to obtain desired outcomes.

If the data was manipulated how would we even know?

This is where blockchain can play a part in the verification of language learning and accreditation.

Records of study qualification 

The blockchain will store a record of the qualifications that a student has attained, the date they took the test, what scores they got, etc. This could form part of a digital qualification record, which would be easily accessible to employers, universities and other institutions with enrolment criteria.

Individuals students and their schools can upload and verify the information are correct on the blockchain, mitigating the need for a central authority to hold the records.

This is particularly relevant to students who may be displaced through political change, war or natural disasters.

Indelible Records Withstanding all Calamities

Another relevant positive is if the student’s college or university closes before the degree is completed, the history of the achieved grades, courses completed and test scores and assessments are retained and can be used in the future.

In our modern learning age, students are studying from multiple sources, whether they are traditional educational institutions, apps, and online courses, or tutors, all these records can get stored in the blockchain and form a public ledger. This can be used to help the student get a job, or even to ask for people to ‘invest’ in their education, in return for a share in your skills and knowledge once the student has qualified.

Blockchain can transfer control of a students record keeping back to the person it is most important to – the student, allowing them greater autonomy in their lives.

So, where does the money flow? Right now it is still hard to get involved in blockchain and cryptocurrency. It is risky, it is unclear where you will end up, and no one can predict what will happen. But that is the perfect opportunity to jump in. You don’t get rewarded for taking the safest path with the least risk.

Bottomline…

Pursue your English lessons and get skills in the industry you want to get involved in, entering through the back door and picking up training along the way, For all operations in a company, there will surely be orientations and hands-on training. But take note, without the necessary language tool – English – you do not make it anywhere in this lucrative modern world.

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Why Education Needs Disruption and English Forward’s Vision

Access to schools is the first step toward increasing the right to an education for all children on a global level. Taking steps to resolve the hindering factors driving the lack of access to education will be crucial in overcoming education’s inaccessibility to so many young minds. Yet, at some point, students in underdeveloped countries fail to get to the next level where they can be effective as game changers.

Mitch Rankin, English Forward Co-Founder, and CEO, explains the turning point:

“Student loans show how the current system favors the privileged segment of humanity and leaves out the majority of people that are unable to participate in higher education due to lack of resources (finances) or not being “creditworthy” for loans. And this constitutes a large portion of the world. I believe this can be addressed in this age of smart devices, globalization, and blockchain.”

Do you believe that the educational system needs reforms?

The Internet was obviously a great disruptive force for education, and that was a huge challenge for educators to adapt to. Well, the disruptive technology known is now on the horizon, and that will obviously impact both the educational process and the administrative processes that make any educational system work.

When you say blockchain, most people automatically think crypto but it is worth noting that blockchain can be used in other areas other than the decentralized nature it provides to cryptocurrencies. Currently, universities around the world have begun implementing blockchain technologies to monitor and keep the accounts for transcripts and qualifications for students and educators.

Blockchain success in education isn’t just about financial gains, it’s about something much more important and long-lasting. Blockchain and crypto provide enhancement by spreading some of the prosperity around in a “earn as you learn” process as proposed by English Forward.

Since acquiring EnglishForums.com website in February 2018 Mitch Rankin had wanted to retain the foundation but build upon it — to allow the platform and community to advance Forward. English Forward is a leader in the adoption and hence a natural fit was found with blockchain.

Mitch said confidently, “While blockchain isn’t relevant for many industries or businesses, it is a perfect hand-in-glove solution to each of our goals.”

If you’ve watched the Equalizer movie series, you could imagine Mitch in the likeness of a protagonist, helping equalize the chances of getting educated against the mounting costs of a college education, the privilege of the wealthy.

Have you taken note of the current educational system pre-English Forward? Would you like to be part of the solution? Join here.

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Let Blockchain Save Your Precious Time

Growing up as a young boy, my parents told me to work hard at school, go to university, get a good job, and I will be able to retire at 65 years old. They had all the best intentions for me, and based on the knowledge and worldview they had at the time, gave me the advice they thought was best for me.

Maybe your parents told you the same thing

Get a degree so you can “fall back on it” if things don’t work out

Pick a career (while you’re at school and know nothing)

Looking back on it now and the way the world has changed, as well as looking around at some of my fellow schoolmates that followed similar advice and how their lives have ended up, I see how wrong that advice was, and I’m so glad that I never followed it.

The world today is filled with uncertainty and the current education system cannot guarantee you anything beyond that if you study well you’ll get a certificate at the end of your course.

So what is it that all of us actually want? Well, we want to be loved, we want to do something worthwhile with our lives, we want to feel good about ourselves and we want security in life.

Why do we put ourselves through the agony and fear of planning the perfect future, and setting ourselves up for failure from the start? Is the prevailing global culture still mired in the last century’s thinking?

What we need to ask…is getting a good education a guarantee you will get all of these things? The answer is most definitely…NO!

Blockchain – the path to opening our minds

The best outcome of blockchain, Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies to date, in my opinion, is that it has turned the world upside down, and forced people to rethink old paradigms, challenging the status quo.

Universities and colleges are the master salesmen of peddling degrees that have no guarantee of future employment and success in life, creating very well qualified managers, doctors, bankers, lawyers et cetera that end up being unemployed and disillusioned by the promise they were sold.

The education-employer partnership that served humanity so well in the latter part of the last century is a relationship that is broken and cannot be reconciled in its current form.

No prospect of guaranteed employment

Here is the problem:

Traditionally universities and colleges core focus areas are in educating students in areas with a diminishing job base rather than in areas with an exhilarating opportunity base

Employers need tech and Digital savvy employees to help them develop the companies of the future, and instead, are offered employees that are trained in skills better suited to the jobs of the last century.

This is creating a growing divide between the education – employment partnership,creating fear and uncertainty for young people starting out in their careers without the prospects of guaranteed employment.

What we need to ask is if blockchain can help address the problems faced by the education – employer partnership or are we heading down a one way street of disillusionment for young people?

So the question is:

Is our current education system set up to produce specialists that were needed in the last century rather than people that are educated for jobs in the future?

Over the last 7 years of homeschooling our children, we have seen how the job market has shifted dramatically with a whole new plethora of opportunities opening up…new career choices, new ways of working, new thought processes.

Some opportunities available today were not as available 3-5 years ago. This is an exciting opportunity for students.

With the advent of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, the Internet of things, AI, and machine learning, young people suddenly have a myriad of new opportunities to choose from.

The truth of the matter, in fact, is that the jobs that young people will be involved in haven’t been fully scoped out yet.

So how do you prepare yourself for an exciting future filled with opportunity when mainstream education media and popular thinking is filled with promises of jobs that are in all likelihood antiquated – and if you follow them, will lead you down an overcrowded path into a dead-end, one in which you would have to do a U-turn, re-study and find a career that is more suited to the economic and global environment that we live in.

Good advice today would be

Keep learning while you work

Don’t be scared to try different jobs

Do something you are passionate about and where you feel you can make a difference

Blockchain = Change = Keep learning = Your bright future

What’s your take on this formula?

Take a look at the many career possibilities of engaging with the English Forwardcommunity.

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Is Blockchain the Added Value Education Needs?

So many young people in third world communities lie awake at night, dreaming of traveling to the places they have seen in the movies…places in the US, Europe and other parts of the world. Hitching your wagon to a star is the mindset of hopeful youngsters reared by parents who have been through the rigors of wars, poverty, and unemployment.

Sometimes they dream of learning to speak like a native English speaker.

In reality, the United States, a country with every education facility and institution imaginable available, is a country where higher education is in crisis. As costs rise across the board, there is an ever-increasing number of people accumulating student loan debt, but fewer students that are able to complete their degree. I read that less than 50% of students in the US complete their degrees in 6 years.

Not good odds for a dreamer. Little do they realize that the global village is at their doorstep if they become proficient in English through online courses and online employment.

Organized and in Order

It reminds me of the Supertramp song “Dreamer, you know you are a dreamer”.To gain access to colleges and universities in the first world you need to have your qualifications organized and in order.

“Organised and in order” – two words that strike fear into the heart of most people…if you’re anything like me, it’s a constant challenge to remember where you left your cell phone, let alone have an organized, digitized record of your academic accomplishments.

This challenge is compounded in third world countries, where archaic education systems and record keeping can result in the loss of the vital records you need to verify yourself as an accomplished student and confirm your degrees or credentials for applications to study in other countries. This can have a far-reaching effect on students as, resources, and the disappointment of not being able to fulfill their dreams can destroy a sense of self-worth.

Online education has helped millions of people acquire knowledge and skills from where they live and work,  bypassing most of the obstacles that exist in formal education — but in reality, the online education industry faces many challenges, which I believe can be solved with the implementation of blockchain technology in Edtech. The possibility of a decentralized education platform (Peer to Peer Learning) that is governed by consensus rather than a central authority is made possible with the blockchain.

Blockchain: A student’s view

The increasing reliance on educational institutions on databases that are accessible online create a security risk for student data. The possibility of a hacker stealing or conversely, changing their grades or adding unearned certifications is possible with databases that have a single failure point, whether they are housed on servers or in the cloud.

Students, instead of being reliant on an institution to safeguard their data, will be able to access and verify their academic history online, confident that even if an educator goes out of business their records are permanently stored on the blockchain.

Blockchain: An employer’s view

It is common that an interviewee may have certificates from several high schools, universities or colleges, as well as professional educators and online companies. Normally, an employer would need to verify an employees’ credentials with any number of sources, which can be costly and time-consuming, depending on the level of checking needed.

Compare this to the ease of confirming the authenticity on the blockchain. Once an institution adds a students certificate(s) to the ledger, the details are publicly available and separated from the issuing establishment. They become immutable and are a credible record employers reference online to verify a potential employee’s learning history.

Let’s all get involved…

As blockchain evolves, innovative new applications will disrupt online education. English Forward is actively engaged in planning and being a part of the solution to the challenges faced in language learning.

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Why English Forward Opened Up To 200 Million Users In Telegram

What is Telegram?

Telegram has grown in popularity in the secure messaging category since its launch in 2013. Telegram is a messaging app, like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger with a focus on speed and security, it’s super-fast, simple and free. If you love privacy, Telegram is your app. You can use Telegram on all your devices at the same time — your messages sync seamlessly across any number of your phones, tablets or computers.

The world is changing, so are the priorities. We are here to learn English, and learning requires a harmonious and safe environment to make errors, to not be judged or ridiculed, but to seek answers and grow. Privacy, freedom, and the security of Telegram make it a perfect match for English Forward.

Here are some of the amazing benefits Telegram app is providing:

1) Telegram is a fast messenger service. You can send and receive video files up to 1024 MB and share multiple files. A user can choose whether to compress the image and video or send the uncompressed version.2) As it has no advertisements, it’s completely free and it does not ask for a fee after a certain period of time.

3) Telegram is available for any operating system (Android, iOS, Windows, Linux etc) and through any browser.

4) There is an option for a secret chat which means a self-destruct timer can be set after a message is sent. The message will be automatically deleted when the timer hits. This confirms that Telegram is a number one secure messaging app.

In fact, Telegram has “bots” with which we plan to allow everyone to search English Forward, right from the comfort of the chat app.

With over 200 million users and counting, Telegram is big and lots of users enjoy the platform for being versatile and secure.

English Forward, the Internet’s largest community, goes blockchain

Since acquiring EnglishForums.com website in February 2018 we wanted to retain the foundation but build upon it — to allow the platform and community to advance Forward. English Forward is a leader in adoption and hence…

A natural fit was found with blockchain. While “blockchain” isn’t relevant for many industries or businesses, it is a perfect hand-in-glove solution to each of our goals.

Blockchain immediately modernizes English Forward’s technology, allows for new creative tools implementation, and brings in transparency and authority, while also enabling all contributors and volunteers to earn “crypto tokens” for their support. Telegram is an app widely used in the blockchain space as well.

As a fast adopting and community-centric platform, English Forward invites you to join our Telegram Group to continue learning and growing.

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What Causes Power Outages on Education in Many Parts of the World?

As we sat eating our barbecue with the candles flickering on the dinner table, we joked about the stage 4 load shedding, our dying batteries and how we wouldn’t be able to finish the Netflix series tonight. A small challenge to face, and hardly an inconvenience compared to the millions of students wanting to study that night.

Poor management, failing infrastructure and load shedding can be very detrimental to a student’s education. This is a reality in the developing world. Mention the words “load shedding” in many first world countries and you’ll be met with a blank expression…mention it in South Africa and you’ll hear “it’s a part of our life”.

Many countries and cities in other parts of the world experience complete blackouts for protracted periods of time. Imagine you’re a student learning English and studying for an important exam, and load shedding or a power blackout occurs…

What do you do? You are totally reliant on the battery life left in your phone or computer, or if you’re fortunate enough to have an alternate battery backup system. And if your battery lasts you long enough, you’re still reliant on municipal and government infrastructure for cellular and internet connectivity.

Compare this to an article I read in Edtech Magazine regarding first world education.

“The IT network is the backbone of the modern learning environment, and when power is interrupted, nobody earns a passing grade…The estimated 22.2 million higher education students served by 4,298 colleges and universities throughout the country depend on technology to be accessible anytime, anywhere — and always on.”

Challenges to Online Distance and Location-based Learning

Reliable and predictable electricity supply is critical with online education and access to learning material and the internet, and tutors and lecturers need it for proper collaboration and the tools built into learning management systems. It is also required for communication between students and lecturers who are not in the same geographical locations.

As English Forward progresses and we focus on geographically dispersed students having access to equal learning opportunities, particularly in the higher education sector, we assume that they will have some access to a digital device and the internet, and this is already challenging in many parts of the world. Add to this an unreliable power supply, and you have growing challenges on the development of online distance and location-based learning.

Social and economic inequalities are pervasive in global education, and the electricity crisis many faces adds another layer to the unequal playing, or rather “learning” field. This greatly impacts the short, medium and long term socio-economic status of entire communities in developing countries.

The power crisis impacts both teachers and students, limiting their ability to fully engage in the digitally enabled educational environment, leaving, in many cases, the educational process to rely on archaic methods and systems.

Tragic Consequences in the Offing

The bright light of enthusiasm in a young students mind slowly becomes a dimming light at the end of the proverbial tunnel of hope, and their dreams are extinguished by the lack of access to stable power systems and the internet.

Tragically, it is the students who already have the lowest level of access to the benefits of digital education that are also most likely to impacted by an unstable electricity supply, compounding the problem and creating a greater socio-economic chasm.

So how could we address this challenge and create a solution that is sustainable and accessible to students in power challenged areas?

That is the question and the challenge I put to the leaders in the cellular and alternate energy sectors.

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Is It Possible To Learn English On The Internet?

We practice using the Internet almost every day – for fun, for serious tasks, for leisure time, etc. and not even realizing that we are practicing and reviewing our actions over and over again, getting used to them and eventually learning on a permanent level.

Marita is a young adult from Tbilisi, Georgia. Georgia is a small country, still developing, and surrounded by Russian, Turkish, Armenian and Azerbaijanian languages. So how would she be able to learn English in such conditions? Yet, she speaks the language like a native.

Marita is now a copywriter, content editor and online tutor for foreigners who want to learn English, Russian and Georgian. Of course, her interest in cartoons and moving images helped her, but that was not enough to achieve something so huge.

Practice certainly makes perfect! And the Internet is always here and everywhere to help us practice more.

Take up some online courses

Local resources are always limited and there comes a time when we realize that we need something more. That’s when we can benefit from the Internet and obtain free or paid online courses.

What’s in it for me?

You’ll learn English from a native speaker teacher.

You’ll innovatively learn English.

You won’t have to move a muscle to attend an online classroom.

Online courses are great! They changed the lives of many who couldn’t afford financially or physically to go outside and attend classes.

Watch Youtube Videos

Youtube is an enormous platform that holds many interesting, regular or even mind-numbing videos that aren’t all that time-consuming if you know what I mean.

These videos feature native speakers doing whatever. And for some, watching these videos might seem pointless, but look at it this way – you’ll be listening to a native speaker in a natural state.

Sometimes, when we know that we are learning something, we get lazy, and our mind doesn’t pay much attention to a teaching video, whereas it responds excellently to an entertaining video.

Hire an online tutor

Don’t like the idea of watching a pre-written and scripted video? Do you prefer to communicate in real time with real people?

You can use your device and internet connection to connect with a native speaker who can teach you English – an online tutor. Most people address online tutors when they want to practice their speaking skills and have nobody around to speak native English with them.

Join forums

Forums might sound so last century, but they’re stronger than ever in the education industry. Forums let you post, search and filter information according to the subject you desire, making it practical to use.

Those who are shy to video chat and speak English loudly can benefit from written communication on the English Forward forum. But remember, speaking is an essential part of learning a foreign language, so you’ll need to courage up.

Play Online Games

Studies show that playing games help in brain development and improving learning skills.

Marita would love to play a game or two when she was younger, and without even noticing it, she was learning English from the subtitles, from the plot, from the missions, etc.

Take up a new game that won’t harm your schedule. It can be on a mobile or a computer. Set the subtitles or the whole settings of the game on English and learn away. You’ll notice how games affect your learning.

Enter a classroom without walls

Chances are you’re already in the classroom without walls, learning more without even being aware. Once you realize this, you can help yourself advance your learning skills and learn English in a fun way.

You don’t need to pressure yourself with textbooks and mandatory grammar rules. Learning through the Internet doesn’t make the learning process sound so pressing, does it?

Take a step forward and help yourself with automatic or strategic learning of the English language with English Forward and our growing community.

World’s #1 “Learn English” Portal 250 Million+ Users Served

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