Non Sequitur is a Latin phrase we use in English which means it does not follow. It is mainly used to describe a statement which has nothing to do with what was said before. For example, this is logical and sensible. Socrates was a man. All men are mortal. Therefore […]
Continue ReadingMnemonics in TEFL
Mnemonics (pronounced /nəˈmɒniks/ with a silent ‘m’ at the beginning) are short devices (sayings, poems, etc…) used to remember longer, more complex ideas or lists (also known as aides memoires or memory aides). Think of them as poetic versions of string tied around your finger to help remember something! A […]
Continue ReadingMinimal Pairs and TEFL
Minimal Pairs are pairs of words (and sometimes phrases) which differ in their sound by just one element. They are an incredibly useful tool in the TEFL teachers’ bag and if you haven’t started yet, you should learn about them and use them! Mostly minimal pairs are used as pronunciation […]
Continue ReadingJargon in TEFL
Jargon is a specialized language used by people in a certain profession, job or activity. To an outsider it may seem unintelligible, but to a member of that group it is obvious and useful to explain sometimes esoteric points. Like many other groups, English teachers have their own jargon:participle, false […]
Continue ReadingI before E except after C
Does the rule, I before E except after C actually work? Here we are using a concordancer to check whether it’s true or not. The results may surprise you. This example demonstrates an approach to using a concordancer in investigating a particular aspect of language. NB The results were exported […]
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