Pronunciation

In a previous blog I talked about my vocabulary learning techniques.

This time around I am going to look into pronunciation. I have to admit this is a topic I didn´t think of a lot in the past. Sure I talk English in school and with my foreign friends, but it is not something I analysed before.

It all started when we had to read two dialogues in class and our Professor recorded us. When I later heard my recording I realized I hated my voice - and I know I am not the only one.

When I got the feedback, my Professor pointed out that I have a problem with the “ th” sound. I never realised it before because like I said I never spent any time analysing myself. But when I listened back it became clear that there is room for improvement. So I decided to practise it, and what better source for that than Youtube :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5LO0hHGfQg

This Video really helped me because like he sad - when practising sounds, never be afraid to exaggerate. At first, even though I was alone and in my room I felt kind of stupid but in the end it really helped and it was kind of fun. So go ahead and try :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUAYmTnWaCY

I would strongly advise you to go through her videos. The explanations she provides are great and it makes learning easy.

Since I am not a native speaker it is natural that I have an accent. This is the feedback I got :

I can detect your accent, so practice shadowing some of your favorite actors/actresses and try to sound more like them. It may help to be a bit of an actress yourself and try to get into the role of a native speaker. Record a scene from a show or movie and try to perform it until you sound exactly like the person you want to model. Be sure to record yourself and be critical. How close are you really? Can you speak quickly and accurately? Go on, it's fun!

At first I thought, well I am definitely not going to do that! But then I thought about it. If it helped with the “th” sound it should definitely help me with my accent. So I tried it and I have to admit that it was fun ( but don´t tell my Professor that ;) ). Don´t worry I didn´t turn my room into a stage but I did try to put as many emotions into it as I could. And it is very difficult at first. But if you start with one sentence and practise it until you master it it becomes very easy in time. I am not saying that I got rid of my accent entirely but I think if I stick to this strategy it will get better in time.

And since I talked about accents here is a funny video which always makes me laugh. :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSc_ad5r_-M

Vocabulary-learning techniques

When learning a language it is especially important to expand your vocabulary and everyone has a different approach in doing so.

For  my English class we got the assignment to write about useful vocabulary learning techniques. I believe there are a lot of helpful strategies for learning new words. You just have to find the one that suits you the best.

I myself am a visual learner so it is always easier for me to write a new word down. The most effective way is by making flash cards where I write one word on one side and the definition or example sentences on the other . Flash cards can be also useful when learning something else but they are specially useful for vocabulary learning.  The great thing about flash cards is that it is a simple but effective method. And if you use this strategy it is very easy to feel good about yourself, because there is just one word per card and when you master it its a great feeling when you can put the card in the “words I already learned pile” - that way you get the feeling you are actually progressing. Also, if it helps, draw a little picture next to the explanation because you will find it even easier to learn new words when you can connect them to a picture.   

Online sites

I always use the Internet while learning new vocabulary. It is an effective and easy way to find different language-learning tools. For starters there is a variety of monolingual dictionaries where you can look up specific words and how to properly use them. My favourite dictionary is the Macmillan dictionary because it allows you to search for the explanations and also for the synonyms all at one place.

Another online site, and probably my favourite one, is vocabulary.com. There you can make your own vocabulary lists or browse through the ones that already exist and you can also learn new words through a multiple choice quiz. The best thing about vocabulary.com is that the system remembers every word you look up so when you use it frequently it is basically designed to your needs. When you log in to the site a random question pops up and its usually a word or a phrase you had problems with in the past. That way the site allows you to revise the words every time you use it.

Reading and listening

If you read a lot, it helps you revisit new vocabulary and see those words in new sentences and contexts. Everytime I read a book and encounter an unknown word I write it down immediately and look it up later. Try to include these new acquired words in new sentences or the next time you write a text. Also when I look up a new words I always search for synonyms. That way you expand your vocabulary even further and it really makes an impression if you use  more “fancy” words than just the most basic ones.  

Another good learning-technique is listening to a language. Pronunciation is another important step towards mastering a new language. Maybe find a tandem partner and speak to him/her at a regular basis to improve on your communication skills or just watch a TV show.

Summary: Before and After

 The reason I'm writing this post is because our English professor gave us the assignment to write a summary on this video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx_LWm6_6tA

When I first watched the video I was relieved, because even though it is a topic I know nothing about, its explained in a simple way and easy to understand. My first big problem when I was writing the summary was to include only the important information. I wasn't sure if I included everything or if i have left something important out. The second problem was the length. I had way too many words and I had to read through my text several times to figure out how to shorten it. 
So when the time came to show the summary to my professor I wasn't really sure what to think. As it turned out: overall it was actually a good summary and I was really surprised. There were of course some minor things that I had to correct but otherwise it was okay. However, I did make a huge mistake and because of that mistake I got a lower grade - I forgot to spell check !! I mean who does that? Or better yet, who doesn't spell-check.? Normally I do but this time I somehow forgot and the result was a lower grade. But the upside is that it is a mistake that I can easily fix. 

So what did I learn from this "before and after" experience? ALWAYS spell check even if it is the most basic word like because ( yes I didn't spell that right ) and also that writing summaries isn't actually that hard I just have to practice how to do it in 90 minutes and that is probably the hardest part.  

Here is the final version of my summary:

The video “The crisis of credit visualized”  aims to explain the reasons for the 2008 credit crisis.

Years ago investors were looking for a better investment than treasury funds because interest rates were drastically lowered, which lead to an abundance of cheap credit. This led to leverage- the reliance on using credit to increase profit. Wall Street used this idea to connect investors to homeowners using mortgages as a source of income. At this point the mortgages were divided into three categories: safe, okay and risky and this is called CDO- Collateral debt obligation. The safe- labelled mortgages were additionally insured via CDS- Credit Default Swap. This system allowed a constant money flow between homeowners, banks and investors and the market boomed.

The credit crisis occurred because mortgages were given to low-income families, who after time failed to pay off their mortgages, and the houses were repossessed. Eventually the CDO stopped and there were too many houses on the market and because of that house prices started decreasing.  At that point everyone started going bankrupt because even the financially-stable homeowners left their houses rather than pay for an overpriced house. Therefore the money flow stopped and the market crashed.

If you think there is still something to improve, I will be grateful for your suggestions :)

 And I guess the moral of my blog post is: never forget to spell check ;) 

Who can I sue ?

I came across an article with the title 10 Frivolous lawsuits. It is just ridiculous how easy it is for people to get money nowadays. There is a website whocanisue.com that encourages people to sue, especially for ridiculous reasons. So if you have time just read the article and you will see for how stupid reasons people can win lawsuits. 

http://www.urbantitan.com/10-frivolous-lawsuits/

Be kind to one another

With this sentence one of my favorite celebrities finishes her daily talk show every day. Ellen DeGeneres has one of the most popular TV shows and she always puts a smile on my face. In the past few years I literally became obsessed with her and her show. She is the most kind, hilarious and giving person. Not only she entertains millions of people every day, she also changes their lives with gifts and money. 

The thing I like about her show is that the celebrities are always so relaxed on her show and they joke around, play games and dance. She also has different segments where she shows funny pictures or videos. 

Here is a video of Barack Obama dancing on Ellen :)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUcgH1lbNxI

Celebrities are not the only guests on her show. She always searches for people on the internet with some special talent and then gives them a chance to star on her show and start their career and in that way she already helped a lot of people. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9aN13Gt33Q

Champions League Finale

I was never a fan of soccer. For me it was always just a boring game where 22 guys run after a ball and I never understood why people can be so obsessed with it.
But in the past few months my boyfriend made me watch it. At first I wasn´t very excited about it and it was so annoying when he was watching it but with time I realized that it´s not so bad.

For the Germans this years finale was very important and they call it the finale of the decade. For the first time two German teams were in the finale of the Champions League, Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund.
And I do have to admit that it was a good game. I was routing for Bayern because it is the only team I know well and they won 2:1 :)

I am glad that the season is over for now but I think I will be watching it more freaquently now.

X-Plain

For optional homework we had to go through a tutorial on this website http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/ and write a short summary of the topic we picked out. I went through a few tutorials and I find this website very  helpful.
For the summary I chose a topic that is very important for all young women - breast cancer. It is the most common form of cancer . 1 out of 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Every women should get a check-up at least once.
Cancer is a tumor that can destroy other healthy cells and can sometimes be life threatening. It is not necessary that you inherit the cancer it can be caused by drugs, tobacco or chemicals.
You can check for signs of breast cancer by yourself and if you feel a lump or your skin is wrinkled it is recommended that you go and see a doctor.
If a women has breast cancer, first she has to have a surgery where the tumor is removed and then there are some additional therapies after the surgery like radiation, hormonal therapy and chemotherapy.

I think you can definitely spare a few minutes of your time and maybe once a month check for lumps or wrinkled skin, it is only to your advantage, because if you do discover something it is easier to treat it if you caught it in an early stage.