New effective vocabulary learning strategies

Hey hey!

So I must admit that I have never really developed a clever strategy for vocabulary learning and therefore I always ended up confusing them with each other. Since my last progress check is coming up in a week, I stepped up my game and decided to make some changes as far as vocabulary is concerned. I figured out five new strategies which I will stick to from now on (hopefully). Let's get started!

1) So the first and my most favorite one is the 'Word of the day' strategy. The reason why I like it the most, is because it is an effective way to learn a new word by writing it down on a post-it and sticking it somewhere where you will be looking at a lot. Not only do you always repeat it in your head, but also you can try to come up with several new sentences in order to understand the word to the fullest. I should also try to pick the more complicated ones and those of which I have not heard of yet when using this strategy.


2) The second one is the 'Definition strategy'. I thought it would be helpful if I try to make up a quick definition of my own. That is to say, rephrase the definition. 

3) At third place is the 'Synonym/Antonym strategy'. I like to think that connecting a new word with synonyms or antonyms actually facilitates the vocabulary learning. E.g. The word 'shack', which I find quite hard to remember, I would probably recall if I paired it with its synonyms 'cottage' and 'cabin'. 

4) The next strategy is the 'Alphabetic order strategy'. Yes, you've read right. Take a blank sheet of paper and mark the letter whose words you will be working on. Write all the new words down and make a little folder of them.Try to go through a couple of different letter-sheets a day.

5) Last but not least is the 'Monolingual dictionary strategy'. There are a lot of monolingual dictionaries, whether printed or online. It definitely is harder to study vocabulary with monolingual dictionaries than bilingual, but it pays off. A monolingual dictionary helps to process the words deeply. In addition to that, a monolingual dictionary has an excellent use of real, contemporary English. The one that I use and like the most is the Longman online dictionary (http://www.ldoceonline.com/). 

Thanks for stopping by!

Newgrange

This post will be culture related - mainly to Irish culture. Newgrange is Ireland's most famous monument and I find it just as fascinating as many others out there probably do. I first found out about Newgrange when I had to study the Irish culture for my PC2. Some of the facts about this prehistoric monument absolutely blew me away. 

To start off, Newgrange was built over 5,000 years ago (about 3200 BC) by a neolithic farming community in the Boyne Valley, making it older than Stonehenge in England and the Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Newgrange was bulit during the Neolithic or New Stone Age and it is classified as a passage tomb. The original Irish name for Newgrange is Brú na Bóinne, meaning 'mansion by the Boyne'. Newgrange is thought to be of astrological, spiritual, religious and ceremonial importance, much as today's cathedrals.

Newgrange is a large kidney shaped mound covering an area of over one acre and is surrounded by 97 kerbstones. The 19 metre long inner passage leads to a cruciform chamber with a corbelled roof. (For source click here)

But the most famous feature of Newgrange is the small opening or 'roof box' situated above the passage entrance. Its purpose is to allow the sunlight to penetrate the chamber on the shortest days of the year, around December 21st, the winter solstice. A shaft of sunlight shines through the roof box over the entrance and penetrates the passage to light up the chamber. The dramatic event lasts for 17 minutes at dawn on the winter solstice.


Here are some breathtaking pictures from the Winter solstice 2013:

 































The way the golden rays of sunshine fill the chamber is just absolutely stunning. This whole event seems so peaceful and unique in its own way. If I am so fascinanted by only looking at these pictures, what would I be if I actually expirienced it myself? I guess I will have to visit Newgrange soon! 

                               Interesting video for you guys to watch :)

What does a good blog look like?

Hey peeps!

I have been running my blog for a couple of months now, and I still haven't posted the famous 'good blog' post. I know, I know, I should have done it a long time ago, but I just haven't felt inspired to write on such a topic at all. But better late than never, right? :) Let's get started!

The easiest part is to start up a blog and customize it the way you like it, but the hardest is to make both the layout and the content melt together into perfect harmony. It is no lie that well-structured and well-written blogs are more popular than the ones that are lacking interesting posts and pictures. Although structure and writing matter a lot, there are also other factors which can gain you a greater audience. My top five of them are:

1) Make sure you blog regularly

This is really basic, but it's easy to get out of routine and forget to post which is the main task of a blogger. If a blogger doesn't post regularly, people will lose track of what's going on on your blog and therefore will lose interest in visiting it. Make sure you post frequently!

2) Catchy headlines

Noone wants to read a post with a dull headline. A headline should be attention-grabbing and stand out in a bigger font than the rest of the text. Try to come up with at least three different headlines for every post and then pick the one that fits the best to your story.

3) Be yourself

Don't try to copy someone's style of writing, rather try and be unique and yourself. Let people see your personality through your posts and don't be afraid to do so. It's hard to stand out with so many bloggers out there, but the ones that do stand out, are mostly those who are original and honest. It's all about your own perspective and and your creativity.

4) Ignore the negativity from the haters

Every blogger experienced a lot of negative comments and questions from people who probably aren't even their readers. Try your best to not let these comments get to you in a personal way, rather ignore or delete them and move on. Keep your blog and audience positive at all times! :)

5) Create an About page

Include an about page to let people know more about you. Introduce yourselves to you readers and don't post anonymously. You can include a photo of yourself so you appear more real to you readers. You can also add samo basic facts, such as where you live or come from, your hobbies, your job ect.

My top three blogs from WS13

1) aboutlizi.blogspot.co.at I like her blog the most because she put a lot of pictures and links in almost all of her posts which I find is very important in order to attract an audience. But what I particularly liked about her blog were her intersting topics and personal style of writing. I never got bored while reading her posts.

2) fortymillionminutes.blogspot.co.at First of all I love the qoute at the top of the blog and secondly the black theme seems so elegant yet simple. The many language-learning posts are also awesome for students to read and that's why this blog fits into my top three.

3) verenaandthecatssmile.blogspot.co.at When I first saw her blog, it immediately felt like home. The topics all seemed so calm and easy to read; there were no posts about negative stories which I found very nice for a change. I love how there were a lot of creative recipes and little reviews on movies and books.


That is basically it! I will try to use some of the features of the top three blogs I have listed above in order to improve my writing and blog in general. I hope my tips were helpful and that you will try to enhance at least some of them.
Good luck to everyone! :)

Love,

Jelena

What is language register?

Hi everyone!

My PC3 is coming soon and I had to get started with the studying. As I got to the language register part, I thougth it would be an interesting topic for my next blog post. I started browsing the web in order to get a chunk of information and actually found a lot of interesting stuff to read about registers. It would be the easiest if we could speak the same register style in all types of situations, but unfortuantely we can’t. It is common sense that a slang can not be used when talking to a lawyer or doctor, whereas when talking to your friends or family this style would not represent any problem. In the English language there are three styles of register: 

The formal register which is more appropriate for professional writing and letters to a boss or a stranger. 
The informal register (also called casual or intimate) is appropriate when writing to friends and people we know very well.
The neutral register is non-emotional and sticks to facts. It is neither formal nor informal.

So let’s take a closer look at all three types:

Formal Language Register

- the most difficult type of register

-  impersonal, without emotion

-  always spell out contractions (e.g. will not instead of won’t)

-  Formal register includes: business letters, letters of complaint, reports, professional e-mails, announcements

For example: 

Informal Language Register

-  used when we talk to our freinds and family

- often incomplete or short sentences

- symbols, abbrevations and acronyms

- extra punctuation (e.g Hi Jenny!!!!)

- slang

- Informal register includes: personal e-mails, phone texts, friendly letters, most blogs (like mine :) )

   

For example:

Neutral Language Register

- used to deliver facts

- rather for non-emontional topics and information

- not necessarily formal nor informal

- Neutral register includes:  reviews, some letters, articles

For me, the informal language register works the best as I can identifiy my writing and speaking style with it the most. I like to mix my register style up and therefore I aslo think it’s a great way of learning the differences between them.

Thank you for stopping by my blog and reading my posts!

Love,

Jelena

What is it like to celebrate New Year's Eve in Ireland, the UK and the US?

Hi everyone!

Today is the last day of 2014 and I felt like I have to blog about the biggest party of the year taking place on the 31st December every year. I know that traditions of celebrating New Year are different in every country and culture, and so is my way of celebrating different from the English, American and Irish way. I come from Zagreb, Croatia, and we ususally tend to celebrate by either hosting a party at our own home, going to a restaurant where we dine and drink all night for a fair price, or just go clubbing. It is also common for the Croatians to go on mini-trips, mostly to Prag. So now that I gave you a little insight in my traditional celebration of New Year, I would also like to post some ways in which our English teachers probably do! :)


Ireland


New Year is a big time for the Irish. Usually, New Year is considered to be a time in Ireland when people prefer to spend time with friends and family. People sit around a table on New Year's Eve, have a special dinner for the evening, and count for the moment of the New Year to arrive. New Year time in Ireland doesn't have huge party culture. However, there are few New Year parades across the cities, as well as villages, which draw huge crowd both from the local region as well from other places. The New Year parade which is organised in Dublin is one of the largest in the country. Artists from all over the country, including musicians, singers, dancers walk along with common people through the streets of Dublin. In villages and rural parts, New Year parades are more religiously based and they rahter celebrate Old Year than New Year. (Source)

 

UK

The United Kingdom welcomes the New Year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar with loud cheer, warmth of family and friends, feasting and drinking. In London, a huge crowd gathers along the Thames to enjoy the fireworks from the London Eye as the Big Ben strikes twelve and officially marks the beginning of a New Year. Thousands of people also gather to party and make joy at Trafalgar Square and the Piccadilly Circus. Another traditional custom is “First Footing”. For this, a tall, handsome dark (haired) male has to be the first visitor of a household after midnight. As a custom, he has to carry with him, a loaf of bread, a bottle of whiskey, some coal and salt. He is expected to put the coal in the fire and serve the bread and the drink to the family and wish them Happy New Year. He makes entry from the front door, and after the ritual, he has to exit from the backdoor. He is considered to bring good luck and prosperity to the household. (Source)

USA
 

Americans celebrate the beginning of the New Year in style with fancy celebrations and parties. Free wine and gourmet food symbolize hope for prosperity and abundance in the New Year. Uncorking champagne, gorging on cakes, and feasting on black-eyed beans are considered lucky and festive.  Honking vehicles, paper blowers and impulsive kisses are all part of the fun and gaiety. The most celebrated event is probably the “ball drop” in Times Square, New York. Since 1907, every New Year’s Eve a specially designed ball is dropped at 11:59pm amidst cheers of millions of people. The fun is further enhanced by numerous parties, some even hosted by celebrities. Many African-Americans observe "Watch Night" in their local churches as a celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation's signing on January 1, 1863. Americans eat certain foods either at New Year's Eve parties or on New Year's Day to bring good luck. European-Americans often eat pork becausethe pig's plumpness suggests wealth. (Source)

I will probably mix some of the traditions of all three countries together and try to celebrate this New Year in their way. I wish you all a happy and blessed New Year and may all of you be successful in what you try to achieve! Love you all :)