A short while ago I posted on the issue of stress and timing in English. In order to help you understand the concepts, I’ve made a few recordings to illustrate my points. Here’s the short text I’ve prepared:
I’m very excited by the upcoming election. Here in the United States we choose a new president every four years. This year we’re electing a new president because president Bush has served two terms. He can’t run for the office of president any more. Why is this? One of the most famous presidents of all times was Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was elected so many times - a total of four times - that congress decided to limit the number of times a president can serve. Since then, a president can only be chosen two times. In other words, the president can serve two terms.
I’d like to call your attention to a new listening opportunity on this site. If you look on the right hand side of the page, you’ll see a small audio player. In this player you’ll find the current podcast I do with Jim Stroud at EnglishCafe.com. These are free form discussions around issues relating to learning English. The current episode is automatically loaded, but you can find past episodes by clicking on the “posts” button. These podcasts are updated once every two weeks.
You may also want to know about EnglishCafe.com. EnglishCafe.com is an English language learning social networking site that’s really interesting. You can post assignments, your ideas, or other written work and the users add suggestions to improve your writing which you can accept or decline. It’s easy to meet other English learners and ask questions you may have about English.
Anyone who has ever lived abroad knows how difficult it can be to meet people. Meeting people, however, is the key to improving your language skills. This leads to more satisfaction in all areas of your life - especially your success at work. Some of the problems are well known:
The foreign culture seems so strange.
People speak too quickly for you to understand everything.
The pronunciation may be difficult to understand.
Customs are unfamiliar and you’re not sure how to act.
It is easy to stay in your hotel room or apartment and avoid the problem. Perhaps, watching TV will help… It will, BUT, getting out and speaking with people is the best way to take advantage of the opportunity. There are a few ways to meet people that are sure to help you make friends which will provide lots of personal satisfaction AND improve your language skills.
Find out what kinds of conversation strangers usually have in th