ESL English as a Second Language and then some...

In November 2024  Patty and her husband set up a new partnership:  DoveTail Office Consulting kft in Alsózsolca, Hungary.  She is now tutoring English.  

“My Fair Lady,”  is the story of 2 English gentlemen who attempt to turn a flower girl into an English lady by making her go through all sorts of strange activities to improve her speech.  Then they take her to a ball where someone mistakes her as Hungarian royalty due to her beautiful way to speak. That was always my favorite part of the movie because of my Hungarian family.  

In 2024 my husband & I moved to Hungary.  We are currently learning Hungarian as a second language.  Our goal is to be able to speak, read and understand well enough for him to get citizenship as he is of Hungarian descent.  His grandparents were born in Hungary.   I want to help anyone who would like to speak English.  I can do that in person or via the internet.  I use Zoom & Skype.

Do you need to speak better English for work?

Do you need someone to edit your English writing to be more grammatically correct?

Growing up, Patty of My Concierge LLC attended schools in several countries including the International School of Bangkok as a teenager where she was exposed to many languages. Her family also studied the languages of the countries they visited: Guam, Japan, Thailand, France to name a few. She understands how to communicate more clearly when speaking with others who may have English as their second language.

Through their new company DoveTail OC kft they can review and edit the English grammar on the paperwork you are preparing to help you get that job or promotion. They  may also be able to provide some weekly tutoring for those who want to speak better English.

Some specialised careers require technical English.  An engineer is a good example  My Concierge worked with a Norwegian engineering student whose college books and classes were taught in English.  He is now certified as an Engineer.  The language skills required for a particular career may be more challenging than daily conversation.  Contact me for help to improve your business English.

People can be nervous about speaking up in a group even in their native language.  So sometimes when Patty wants to help people be better communicators, she will ask an “ice breaker” question to start discussion.  Sometimes this can bring a smile.

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And then some helps....

IDIOMS:

Breaking the ice:  I was visiting a new church as a group leader. I was late so our team immediately sent me to a room to lead a discussion.  It was a very large church where many people did not know each other, so I opened our discussion with what we call an “ice breaker” question to warm up the participants.  “Please tell me your name and what you do for a living.”  We went around the circle of 30 people. We were almost finished when a man walked in.  I explained to him what had been happening.  “So please tell me your name and what you do for a living,” I said again.  The whole room laughed.  Everyone knew this man and what he did.  Everyone except me.  He was the head minister.  There was a lot of great dialog after that!

Breaking the ice is an example of an idiom.  I try to avoid them when speaking with non-native English speakers because they may be confusing.  However, I too can misunderstand the meaning as in this example:

It was early spring.  I was in the back garden pulling weeds.  My husband was on the side of the house fixing the lawnmower.  Our three year old daughter was playing and visiting with both of us.  She came to me an announced, “Daddy has the lawnmower all fired up!”  “Great”, I thought. “but why isn’t he cutting the grass?”  I went to look and saw the lawnmower was literally on fire.  The idiom “all fired up” usually means full of energy and ready to work, but our little girl did not know that yet. ;D

What is the simple definition of an idiom?

1. : an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as up in the air for “undecided”) or in its grammatically atypical use of words (such as give way meaning separate or fall apart)

I hope you are all fired up to learn English as a second language. 🙂

And here is a great resource:

https://pce.sandiego.edu/11-essential-strategies-for-teaching-english-language-learners-for-any-teacher/

SHORT CUT WORDS TO BE AWARE OF WHEN LEARNING:

• ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS, INITIALISMS

An acronym is an abbreviation formed by combining the initial letters of other words. It then may a new word.  (example:  radar came from Radio Detection And Ranging)

Abbreviations are short forms of words.  Such as: VA for Virginia. 

Initialisms are what we use today in SMS. (Short Message Service)

FYI = For Your Information:  My husband and I were blessed with 2 children who were very different in personality and learning style.  I went to a class to help me aid in my children’s education.  I learned the different ways people learn.  Some are visual learners, some are tactile learners and some are auditory learners.  Do you know which you are?  It can help a lot to identify this.  

• SLANG

Slang words are specific words or phrases that have a cultural definition that is different from the literal definition. For example, when you “keep your cool,” you are not talking about the temperature. You are saying that you will stay calm under pressure. Cool slang changes constantly.  

I try to avoid slang when teaching English to a new student due to the possibility of confusion of meaning.  

• CONTRACTIONS

Contractions are shortened words created by putting 2 words together and omitting a letter:

Do not. becomes don’t. They are becomes They’re

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Study  ideas:

Define your motivation and set goals.  Your goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Time-bound

Specific:  learn new vocabulary words

Measurable:  learn 50 words

Achievable:  be realistic so you won’t get frustrated.  Have a conversation with someone to practice your new words. It can take many hours of daily work, so figure out a schedule.

Relevant:  the words should be those you would actually use in work or conversation

Time-bound:  set a date to reach your goal, such as in 30 days

CHALLENGE:  Find 50 words on this page for your vocabulary lesson.

Write down the words you want to learn.  Use them in a sentence.

Download an app to help you such as Duolingo or Babbel.  Pimsleur is a great app.

Get a study partner to help you stay motivated or find a weekly social group where you can have a dialog.

Watch TV in the language you are studying.  You can use YouTube.  Be sure to watch some programs on the alphabet and pronunciation. 

Buy a magazine or book in your new language.  The Reader’s Digest is published in other languages, so is the Bible and Guidepost magazine.  The Little Prince is a great read.  I purchased small children’s books with pictures and words to learn my numbers, colors, fruits, veggies and family designations. 

Go thru the alphabet and assign a word you would like to remember to each letter.

Did you learn something new here?  Is there a topic you would like to know more about? 

More on the funny quirks of language.

Homonyms, homophones & homographs – the easiest way to understand is to see a picture:

• we tear a page then we shed a tear. (tare is another one-that's an old word for weed)

• a baker used flour to make an edible flower (liszt or virág in Hungarian).

• There (location-It is over there by the store.), their (belongs to-That is their property.) they’re (contraction for they are-They're not home right now.)

• Here is one more for you to figure out: bare vs. bear