The Ways We Pronounce -Ed

The Ways We Pronounce -Ed

We can find -ed style in the simple past tense or past participle in the regular verb. I'm sure that all of you are confusing when you try to speak the verb which use that style.
ex : I cooked a cake for you.

we can pronounce the -ed in 3 ways:

• /ɪd/
• /t/
• /d/

If the base verb ends in one of these sounds		example base verb*	example with -ed	pronounce the -ed as	extra syllable?
/t/		want	wanted	/ɪd/	yes
/d/		end	ended
unvoiced	/p/	hope	hoped	/t/	no
	/f/	laugh	laughed
	/s/	fax	faxed
	/ʃ/	wash	washed
	/ʧ/	watch	watched
	/k/	like	liked
voiced	all other sounds, eg	play	played	/d/
		allow	allowed
		beg	begged

*Note that it is the sound that is important, not the letter or spelling. For example, fax ends in the letter x but the sound /s/; like ends in the letter e but the sound /k/.

Exceptions

The following -ed words used as adjectives are pronounced with /ɪd/:

• aged
• dogged
• ragged
• blessed
• learned
• wicked
• crooked
• naked
• wretched

So we say:

• an aged man /ɪd/
• a blessed nuisance /ɪd/
• a dogged persistence /ɪd/
• a learned professor - the professor, who was truly learned /ɪd/
• a wretched beggar - the beggar was wretched /ɪd/

But when used as real verbs (past simple and past participle), the normal rules apply and we say:

• he aged quickly /d/
• he blessed me /t/
• they dogged him /d/
• he has learned well /d/ or /t/

Source :https://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/-ed.htm

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General Strategies for the Listening Section

General Strategies for the Listening Section 

1. Be familiar with the direction.

Before you listen the section of your speaking, you must be familiar with the direction of those tasks.

2. Be familiar with computer adaptivity

it means that you will start with medium level question until the difficult one, these question will increase in step by step. so, you must be familiar about that.

3. Set the volume carefully before you start the listening section.

You have to set the volume to make you comfort and easy to get information from that section.

4. Dismiss the directions as soon as they come up.

you have to save your time to do the important things like try to be familiar with the options. So, you can dismiss the direction to save your time.

5. Listen carefully to the spoken material.

you will hear the spoken material one time only. You may not repeat the spoken material during the test.

6. Make calm yourself in the question.

you have to control yourself when the spoken material is played. 

7. Do not spend too much time on a question you are unsure of

if you truly do not know the answer, simply guess and go on. The computer will automatically move you into a level of questions.

 

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Finding the Main Idea in Paragraph

Finding the Main Idea in Paragraph

 

Main idea is the point of paragraph. We can find that usually in the beginning of paragraph or the last of the paragraph . The main idea usually is a sentence. 

if we want to search  main idea we have to know the topic first, it makes you easy to find main idea of that paragraph. And this case, i want to give you the examples of the paragraphs and the main idea of those paragraphs.

Summer is a wonderful time to spend at West Beach. It is a beach with light- colored, soft sand. The coastline goes on for a long way and many people enjoy walking along it. Children like to play in the surf and walk along the rocks that are visible at low tide. This is a fun beach for people of all ages.

In this paragraph:   

• the topic is West Beach
• the main idea (what the writer is saying about the topic) is that summer is a wonderful time at West Beach
  
  
  (in this paragraph, the main idea in the first sentence.)
  
  
  
  

  Most teenagers and young adults do not know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It is a big decision. There are a number of things you can do to narrow the choices. For example you can take an interest test, do some research on your own about a career, try volunteer work in the field in which you are interested, or "job-shadow", in which you spend a day with a person who is working in a field that interests you. These are just a few helpful ideas as you begin to choose a career.

   In this paragraph:
• the topic is jobs or career choices
• the main idea is a few ideas to help the reader choose a career
• 
  
  
  
  (in this paragraph, the main idea in the last sentence)
  
  

source of example : http://www.landmarkoutreach.org/publications/spotlight/finding-main-idea

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American Idioms A-E

American Idioms

A

About time:
Nearly time, high time. ex. "It's about time you bought a new car!"
Absence makes the heart grow fonder:
Proverb that means that our feeling for those we love increases when we are apart from them.
(To) act high and mighty:
To act proudly and arrogantly. ex. "He has been acting all high and mighty ever since he chased away that burglar."
Actions speak louder than words:
Proverb meaning that's it's better to do something about a problem than to talk about it.
(To) act one's age:
To behave in a more mature way. Frequently said to a child or teen. ex. "Bill, stop throwing rocks! Act your age!"
(To) add fuel to the fire:
To make a bad problem even worse. ex. "He added fuel to the fire by bringing up old grudges while they were arguing."
(To) add insult to injury:
To make a bad situation even worse.
Against the clock:
To attempt to do something "against the clock" is to attempt to do something as fast as possible, usually in order to make a deadline. ex. "They were working against the clock to finish the project."

B 

To) be a fan of someone/ something:
To like, idolize, admire someone/ or something. ex. "I'm not a big fan of heavy metal music."

(To) be in one's element:
To be completely comfortable doing something; to do something that comes very naturally to someone. ex. "When it comes to speaking in public, the Senator is in his element."

(To) be up to no good:
To be planning something bad, mischievous, etc. ex. "I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was up to no good."

(To) beat around the bush:
To avoid getting to the point. ex. "Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you really think."

(To) beg to differ:
A polite way of saying "to disagree", most often heard in the phrase "I beg to differ!"

Behind (someone)
In the past. ex. "I used to smoke, drink, and take drugs, but all that is behind me now."

Believe it or not:
Used at the beginning sentence to state that something is true whether one chooses to believe it or not. ex. "Believe it or not, I still care for her." 

Big fish in a little sea:
A person who's famous/ well-known but only in an unimportant place (city or area).

(To have a) big mouth:
To not be able to keep a secret. ex. "Don't tell her anything. She's got a really big mouth."

Big-shot (noun/adjective):
An important person. ex. "All the big-shots at headquarters never listen to what we have to say."; "A big-shot reporter." 

C

 

(To) call it a day:
To end work and go home. ex. "Let's call it a day. It's getting late."

(To) carry a tune:
To be able to sing on key (accurately). ex. "She has an awful voice! She can't carry a tune."

(To) cash in on something:
To profit from something. ex. "The actor wanted to cash in on his popularity by opening a restaurant."

(A) catch:
When talking about wives, husbands, girlfriends, etc., people sometimes say "He's quite a catch" or "She's quite a catch", which means that the person in question is a great partner, or that it's good to be in a relationship with him/her (usually because of his/her personality, money, or looks).

(To) catch someone's eye:
To get someone's attention through eye contact.

(A) cheap drunk:
Also knows as "a cheap date". A person who becomes drunk after only one or two drinks. ex. "Victor had one gin and tonic and was already slurring - what a cheap drunk!"
 

D

To) drive someone crazy:
To make someone very agitated, upset, or emotional (either in a good or bad way).ex. "That teacher is so awful! He drives me crazy with his attitude."

(To) drop it:
To stop talking about something. ex. "I told you to drop it! I don't want to talk about it."

(To) drown one's sorrows:
To get/ become drunk. ex. "Drowning your sorrows won't solve anything."

(To) drop the ball:
To make a mistake. (WARNING: This idiom is overused in the business world). ex. "So it was John's fault? Yes, John really dropped the ball on this one."

(A) dream come true:
A great thing; a dream or wish that has become reality. ex. "Living in California is like a dream come true."

Down in the dumps:
Sad. Depressed. 

E

As) easy as pie:
Very easy.

Easy come, easy go:
PROVERB. Said to explain the loss of something that was very easily obtained in the first place.

Easy-going:
Tolerant; laid-back; relaxed. ex. "Bill is one the most easy-going guys that I know. He never gets upset about anything."

(To) eat one's heart out:
To be envious or jealous (used mostly as a command). ex. "Eat your heart out Frank, I'm going to Paris!"

(To) eat out of someone's hands:
To do whatever someone else wants. ex. "James would do anything for Vicky. She had him eating out of her hands."

(To) eat one's words:
To admit that what one said was wrong. ex. "You think I won't be able to find work in one week? I'm going to make you eat your words."

Elbow room:
Enough space (room) to feel comfortable.
 
Source : http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/americanidioms/lefgidioms_e.html

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The Differences between Paraphrase, Summary, and Synthesis

The Differences between Paraphrase, Summary, and Synthesis.

in academic writing we can't put someone else idea without change the words with our own words or conclude it into the main information. we must make paraphrasing, summary, or synthesis in our academic writing if we use argument for someone else. in this case, I will show you the differences of paraphrasing, summary, or synthesis. 

1. Paraphrase
paraphrase is an activity to look at small part of the text and rewrite it in your own word.
ex :
Original sentence:
Giraffes like Acacia leaves and hay, and they can consume 75 pounds of food a day.
Paraphrase sentence:
A giraffe can eat up to 75 pounds of Acacia leaves and hay every day. ( source of example: http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-paraphrasing-definition-examples-quiz.html ) 

2. Summary
Summary is an activity to look at the whole text and reduce it into a few sentences using your own word. 
ex :

                          Original

The amphibia, which is the animal class to which our frogs and toads belong, were the first animals to crawl from the sea and inhabit the earth.
Summary
The first animals to leave the sea and live on dry land were the amphibia. (source of example :http://www.uefap.com/writing/report/rep_sum.htm )

3. Synthesis
Synthesis is an activity to combine 2 information or more into a small sentences with your own words.
ex :
information A + Information B = Information AB

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Article

ARTICLE

Article is a kind of word that is placed before a noun to represent the existence of the world.

There are two kinds of article, they are indefinite article and definite article.
1. The indefinite article are "a" and "an"
2. The definite article is "the"



How we use article ?

a. we use indefinite article to show expression of speed, number, price, etc.
b. we use indefinite article before singular countable noun.
c. we use "a" before noun beginning with constant or vowel sounded like consonant.
     ex : a pen and a university
d. we use "an" before noun beginning with VOWEL or consonant sounded like VOWEL.
     ex : an apple and an honorable man
e. Indefinite article aren't used before plural noun, uncountable noun or names of person.
f. definite article is "the". we used to show the certain or special thing, we used before the object that is only one in the world, and we also used before superlative degrees of comparison.
     ex : 1. I met a Lady, the Lady is my neighbor.
            2. The Moon.
            3. The biggest one.

we can't use any article before names of person, games, roads, country, meals, special diseases, or public places when they are use in order.

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