ESL Lesson: Contractions

Contractions

This blog entry is all about contractions! 
What are contractions? 
Contractions are a part of informal English frequently used in conversation and in casual or creative writing such as an email to a friend, an anecdote (or a true story someone tells) or a fictional story. 

Don't is a contraction of the words do not.

Contractions are the shorthand way of writing or saying two words as just one word. Very often contractions use the apostrophe (‘) and the removal of letters to make a new word. Contractions should not be used in formal writing such as business letters. In business letters, you should write out words instead of using shorthand like contractions. Here are some examples of contractions.

Can't

Can’t is a contraction of the words can not or the word cannot. The second “o” is replaced by an apostrophe (‘), and the space in between the two words is eliminated. Consider the following two sentences.
I can not meet you this Friday as I am very busy.
I can’t meet you this Friday as I am very busy.


Don’t

Don’t is a contraction of the words do not. The second “o” is replaced by an apostrophe (‘), and the space in between the two words is eliminated. Consider the following two sentences.
I do not have any appointments next Monday.
I don’t have any appointments next Monday.


Doesn't

Doesn’t is a contraction of the words does not. The “o” in not is replaced by an apostrophe (‘), and the space in between the two words is eliminated. Consider the following two sentences.
She does not like to drink coffee.
She doesn't like to drink coffee.


Didn't 

Didn’t is a contraction of the words did not. The “o” in not is replaced by an apostrophe (‘), and the space in between the two words is eliminated. Consider the following two sentences.
I did not talk to Mr. Jones last week.
I didn't talk to Mr. Jones last week.


Couldn't 

Couldn’t is a contraction of the words could not. The “o” in not is replaced by an apostrophe (‘), and the space in between the two words is eliminated. Consider the following two sentences.
I could not reach Mr. Jones last week through phone calls or email.
I couldn’t reach Mr. Jones last week through phone calls or email.


Wouldn't 

Wouldn’t is a contraction of the words would not. The “o” in not is replaced by an apostrophe (‘), and the space in between the two words is eliminated. Consider the following two sentences.
I would not spend too much money on office supplies. I wish to stay within my budget.
I wouldn't spend too much money on office supplies. I wish to stay within my budget.


Haven’t

Haven’t is a contraction of the words have not. The second “o” is replaced by an apostrophe (‘), and the space in between the two words is eliminated. Consider the following two sentences.
I have not reviewed your paperwork yet.
I haven’t reviewed your paperwork yet.


Won’t

Won’t is a contraction of the words will not. The second “o” is replaced by an apostrophe (‘), and the space in between the two words is eliminated. Consider the following two sentences.
I will not be able to attend the meeting this Thursday.
I won’t be able to attend the meeting this Thursday.


I hope these explanations help you understand the concept of contractions better. Remember that contractions are informal and that these are general contractions. We’ll post more on other contractions in the future. Do you have any other questions or comments about this or any other ESL subject? Leave them in the comment section and we will answer them. Stay tuned for more free advice on this and other subjects as well as promotions and news! If you want individual tutoring and help in learning English, contact Kingston University USA today!!

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English Language Courses at Kingston University USA

English Language Courses at Kingston University USA

Are you learning the English language? Have you considered enrolling in English language courses at Kingston University USA? All English Courses at Kingston University USA are self-contained and designed by English speaking tutors to help you learn our language regardless of what your current level is. You will take a test and then be guided to select the learning courses that are especially designed for your current level. The courses are designed with 12 units including audio, slides, worksheets and unique to Kingston University, videos of USA students in an everyday setting demonstrating the lesson to be taught.

Tutors will help you select your courses:

Basic English 101

Intermediate English 102

Advanced English 103  

All courses use examples that demonstrate getting a job. Job interviews, writing Business letters, the difference between Business English and Casual English, and many more lessons help to prepare you for the work environment while teaching you English 24/7 on YOUR TIME.

100 Basic English:

Learn the basics of the spoken American English language taught by American speakers videotaped in everyday settings. There are twelve lessons and each one includes a slide presentation, worksheet, audio component, video tapes of English used in everyday life.  Lessons 1-3 concentrate on the foundation of the spoken language.  Lessons 4-6 build upon the sound foundation into the learning of commonly used terms. This is followed by lessons 6-12 which increase the new learner’s skills in conversational and written situations. An audio component is a part of each unit.

 

102 Intermediate English: 

This course assumes that the speaker has a mastery of Basic English and begins with emphasis on the written word. There are 12 lessons and each one includes a slide presentation, worksheet, audio component, video tapes of English used in everyday life.  An emphasis of English in the workplace adds to the everyday language experience.

103 Advanced English: 

This course assumes that the speaker has a mastery of Intermediate English and begins with emphasis on the Business Communication. There are 12 lessons and each one includes a slide presentation, worksheet, audio component, video tapes of English used in everyday life.  An emphasis of formal English as it applies in more structured environments adds to the everyday language experience.

Contact Kingston University USA to find out more about enrolling in an English language course. You will discover that you can live locally and learn globally no matter what your current English abilities are!!!

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Happy Groundhog Day!

Today is February 2nd, 2012. In the United States of America and Canada, the second day of February is called Groundhog Day. It marks six weeks until the end of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.* 


According to legend, if a groundhog sees his shadow on the morning of February 2nd, then the winter weather will continue for six more weeks; if not, spring may arrive early. Groundhog Day festivals are celebrated in Pennsylvania in the USA and Ontario in Canada featuring Punxsutawney Phil and Wiarton Willie as the most famous groundhogs. Scientist Neil degrasse Tyson quipped* that today is "evidence that Weather Forecasters still haven't convinced people that they know what they're talking about." 


Does your region or culture feature similar legends?? What do you think of Groundhog Day? Share your thoughts with us!

Vocabulary terms:
hemisphere: a term used for one of the planet's halves. There are northern, southern, eastern and western hemispheres.
groundhog: a large rodent related to ground squirrels such as the beaver.
quip: to make a witty, clever or joking remark

News: Online Classes as a New Path to Learning

More and more people are noting the rise and prominence of online classes across the globe. From renown traditional universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States and Cambridge in the United Kingdom to online universities such as Kingston University USA, institutions are taking advantage of digital technology and education tools in their efforts to help people increase their knowledge and skills in this globalized knowledge economy.

Writers like Emily Wang have noted that increases in tuition fees at traditional university programs have made the convenient and less expensive online programs even more attractive to students. She has written an article for The Daily Trojan called "Online Education Provides an Alternative." You can view it here:

Online Education Provides an Alternative

With college tuition continuing to rise with no guarantee for jobs after graduation, some prospective college students might choose alternative paths to education.

Because of the increase in costs, enrolling for a postsecondary education online has become an attractive option — not a last resort.

What do you think of this growing trend? Do you think online education opens doors and creates new opportunities for many people? Have you taken advantage of this new alternative? There are many programs and courses available at Kingston University to help students succeed at university or learn new skills such as business ethics and English as a second language. Contact Kingston University USA today to find out more about how you can live locally and learn globally.


Kingston University USA
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Language Immersion at Kingston University (USA)

Language Immersion is a uniquely developed system by Kingston University (USA) you will be learning English like you learned your first language.  Your first language was easy to learn because you learned from someone who spoke the language.  The method was effortless because the teacher knew the language as a native speaker.

Instruction in English is effortless and will not only teach grammar, but also conversational English so you will be a natural speaker.You will have confidence in your diction and English skills because they will be taught with state-of-the-art technologies. Instructors are credentialed and experienced in education and other content related areas. Opportunity for students to speak conversationally with native speakers, in addition to instruction time, allows for a more natural language immersion. This one on one time is part of the curriculum and is invaluable in speaking naturally.

The Language Immersion program at Kingston University USA Inc. has proven program effectiveness. Student input is encouraged in the Question and Answer session that the Teachers utilize at the end of a scheduled session.  An experienced curriculum developer reviews all comments with the instructor. Learning from a native speaker is the same way that as a child you learned to speak in your native tongue--all cognitive aspects are the same--it worked to teach you your native language and it will work to teach you English which saves the time and effort of learning on your own.

The Language Immersion program at Kingston University USA Inc. believes that it is important to learn the language from native speakers because all dialects have regional and social connotations. It is quite hard to learn them if you haven't lived in those areas of if you don't belong to these communities. Americans speak with other Americans constantly and our goal is to help you do the same. Everyone learns differently and has different needs for the English language-because of the high credentials of our educators -they are flexible enough to provide English learning skills that are designed for individual needs. The student will get the best return on their investment by using the most qualified native speakers. Native speakers are not hindered by their own problems with the language, especially accent reduction instruction. 


Improve your English abilities and avoid the roadblocks to fluency and immersion. Contact Kingston University (USA) to enter the Language Immersion program and receive personalized and professional assistance in immersing yourself in English speaking today! 

Kingston University USA
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ESL: The Basics of English Words

This blog entry is about the very basics of the English language for non-native speakers. These concepts are very important when learning English as a Second Language. They are the foundation of writing and speaking correctly. Let us begin with the different types of words.

Nouns

What is a noun? A noun is a person, place, thing, animal, idea or event. Words such as doctor, house, chair, cat, victory and lunch are all nouns because they fit into one of these categories. When a noun is very specific to a particular a person, place, thing, animal, idea or event, it is called a proper noun. The first letter in each word of a proper noun is always capitalized. This is why people’s names, cities, countries, and holidays are always capitalized. For example, John Smith is spelled with capital letters J and S rather than being spelled john smith.

Pronouns

What is a pronoun? A pronoun is a word that takes place of a noun previously mentioned by a speaker or writer. Pronouns include he, she, you, we, it and I. For any male person, the pronoun he is used. For any female person, the pronoun she is used. When referring directly to another person or group of people, the pronoun you is used. When referring to oneself and other person(s), the pronoun we is used. When referring to objects or things, the pronoun it is used. When referring to oneself, the pronoun I is used. Here are some examples of pronouns in use in English writing:

“John and I were walking down the street. We were both heading to the restaurant to have lunch together.”

“The final exam is coming up soon for our class at university. Studying for it is something we have to do.”

“Jane loves to play the piano. She is very creative and talented in creating music.”

“Ian works at a bakery. He helps make bread and other baked goods for customers.”

“I turned to the other students and asked, ‘What are you going to do?’”

Did you notice how the words I, we, he, she, it and you were used to replace nouns? This is what pronouns are used for in English.

Verbs

What is a verb? Simply, verbs are words that describe action. These actions include working, thinking, moving, feeling, and anything else anything or anyone can do. Verbs have many different possible conjugations based on the particular tense, subject, person and numbers involved. For instance, the word run is conjugated to running when it refers to a single man in the present tense, “He is running right now.”

Adjectives

Adjectives are words that provide descriptions for nouns. They tell you what the nouns are like. Some examples include,

The tall man is talented in basketball.

The black cat is small.

The lemonade is sweet.

She is smart and clever.

The tree is brown.

The comedian is funny.

In these sentences, tall, talented, black, small, sweet, smart, clever, brown and funny are all instances of adjectives. Notice how adjectives come before the noun when they are “attached” to one another. In English, it is always ordered “the tall man” rather than “the man tall” or “man tall.”

For example,

Correct: The happy dog wagged his tail.

Incorrect: The dog happy wagged his tail.

Adverbs

Like adjectives, adverbs are words that describe. Adverbs describe verbs; they describe in what manner someone or something does an action. Adverbs often, but not always, end with the letters “-ly.” For example, gently, quickly, slowly, constantly, and forcibly are all adverbs.

Prepositions

Prepositions are words that modify or compliment nouns or verbs in between different “thoughts” within a sentence. Words such as beneath, under, to, from, for, on, at, with, in and until are used as preposition to give necessary information to make a sentence make sense. Consider the following incorrect sentence:

The man sits the table.

Without a preposition, there is not enough information to make sense of the verb (“sits”) that is right next to the object (“the table”). Consider the preposition “at” being added to the sentence:

The man sits at the table.

This is correct. It makes the sentence far more understandable.

These six categories are just the most common of types of words, but they are the necessary tools to begin to master the English language. See if you can use this information to express your own ideas in English sentences. If you are interested in receiving help for school projects that are in the English language or you simply want to improve on your English skills, contact Kingston University USA. We hope to hear from you and will post more blog posts in the near future. 

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Welcome to Our Blog

Hello and welcome to our first blog entry. Kingston University USA offers many different distance learning programs and services for students across the world to meet their educational and learning goals. This blog will offer background information on many of the subjects and courses our instructors teach such as business management, S.A.T. preparation and E.S.L. (English as a Second Language). Additionally, you can be the first to discover promotions through our official Facebook page as well as giving your ideas, questions, concerns and opinions directly to us! Stay tuned for more information, knowledge and services that will allow you to live locally and learn globally.

Kingston University USA
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