Scrooge

(0:38)  ".....and we have our very own Scrooge."
Ebenezer Scrooge-  a character from a famous story who hates Christmas

Medical Idioms

After mastering clinical knowledge, familiarizing yourself with everyday spoken English is important in preparing for each 15 minute patient encounter for the Step 2 CS.
Practicing patient exams with a native English speaking American is imperative, as along with developing an ear for the language, the teacher can give you feedback regarding your interaction with the patient and steer you in the right direction.  Tips regarding body language, physical proximity, and appropriate responses should be provided by the teacher.  For example, if a patient is angry or upset when you enter the room, it may be best to avoid physical contact (shaking the patient's hand) for the time being.  At the end of the interview if you have succeeded in calming the patient down you may then consider parting ways with a hand shake.
Also, if the patient tells you he has a "throbbing headache" will you understand what he means?

 What if the patient tells you he's been feeling "down in the dumps?"

There is a great idiom site I like to use with students with a list of medical idioms.
Along with practicing patient interviews using Kaplan medical, my video clip exercises and idiom reviews are sure to help anyone pass the Step 2 CS.

Beautiful Gifts from Japan

I’ve received a lot of wonderful gifts from my wonderful students over the years, but this takes the cake.

My beautiful student, Rie, from Japan brought with her beautifully wrapped gifts from her home country.  I am thankful beyond belief and so honored!

“Takes the cake” is an idiom meaning “is the best.”

Meeting Rie

After three years of lessons online, my student from Japan happened to come to Portugal for a business meeting!  My daughter and I drove five hours to meet her and we had a lovely time.  It was amazing to finally talk to each other face to face without a screen and ocean between us!

Immersion Solution

If you aren’t living in an English speaking country, how can you “immerse” yourself so that you can learn colloquial English, and become familiar with the culture?

Personal experience, along with talking to other people led me to a simple, but effective conclusion- television.  Moving to Portugal years ago put me in a situation where I had to learn the language quickly.  I didn’t have time to travel to take classes, and found that people would become impatient with me while I consulted my little dictionary during a conversation.  So I started watching “novelas” (soap operas).  Normally I prefer to read, but I knew I had to develop an ear for the language.  In the beginning it was difficult.  I would start watching a soap opera, and not understand anything that was being said.  But I would try to focus on positive things, and continued to “force” myself to enjoy it.  Everyday for an hour I would watch the same program.  I became familiar with the characters, and started to understand more and more as the context of the story helped to prompt my anticipation of what would happen next.   Cultural norms were introduced to me, and my pronunciation became better.

There are many television programs to choose from, and I often encourage students to choose a program that is related to what they are working towards or something they enjoy.  One of my students who passed the Step 2 CS would regularly watch “House” helping her to become familiar with an American hospital setting, as well as everyday spoken English. 

Explaining specific vocabulary and idioms, as well as asking questions relevant to clips of television programs, the exercises I have developed help students with listening/speaking skills and help increase vocabulary as well.   

5 Reasons Why The Japanese Are So Polite

USMLE- STEP 2 CS- IDIOMS

Are You Ready?

Step 2 CS patient interviews are especially challenging for people who don't speak English as their first language.  Before being able to produce an appropriate diagnosis, you need to identify and assess the symptoms, and before you do that, you need to be able to understand the patient.

How about if you have an angry patient who is speaking very quickly?  A lot of patients are in distress, or anxious, and may not be completely coherent presenting a challenge even for a native speaking medical student. 
No patient will present their case in medical terminology, so it's important that you are first able to understand everyday, conversational English.  An important part of this is having a basic working knowledge of commonly used idioms. 
Along with important "immersion" exercises I've created for people to develop an ear and tongue for everyday English, a lot of great websites are at hand to help you increase your idiom vocabulary.
My favorite site is "The Idiom Connection."

Here is an article "20 Embarrassing Phrases Even Smart People Misuse" to show you how it can be challenging for native speakers of English as well sometimes.

If you want help preparing for the Patient Interviews for the Step 2 CS, or conversational English, contact me!

British English vs. American English- which do you fancy?

Fancy or Fancy? 

The word fancy in British English is commonly used as a verb meaning "like."
Would you "fancy" a donut?  (Would you like a donut?)

The word fancy in American English normally means "decorative" or "pretty" (used as an adjective).
That's a "fancy" dress.  (That's a pretty dress.)

ESL Students Learn New Gender Pronouns | We the Internet TV

House MD: Bilingual Backfire

Idioms

(00:24) cutting edge- the most recent and best

IDIOMS

(0:16) "You can pick up where he left off."

-You can continue doing whatever it was he was doing before he stopped.

Communication Tips

Tips for speaking to an American   

                           Eye contact

Making eye contact with someone is important in America.  Holding eye contact with someone during a conversation demonstrates confidence and tends to generate a feeling of trust.

Personal space

This may be more important in America than a lot of other countries, as most Americans don’t feel comfortable if someone is standing too close to them while speaking with them.  It is important to maintain a distance of about four feet or more between yourself and the person you are talking to. 

       Exhibit good listening skills and don’t interrupt

In some cultures it is ok to interrupt, but not in America.  Making sure you show the person you are talking to that you place value on what they are saying is important, and not interrupting them is one way you can do this.  Another way you can demonstrate your good listening skills is to look interested in what they are saying and once in a while repeat something important they have said back to them.  Click on the link for more information about this. 

Different settings call for different and more specific etiquette.  For example, if you are conversing with a standardized patient for the Step 2 CS test to get your U.S. medical license, you need to exhibit a lot of empathy during the conversation.  For a business meeting, empathy may not be appropriate, but attentive listening would be. 

Along with good speaking skills, communication skills, which include body language and cultural norms, are important.

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"I started learning English at 44." It's never too late!

Step 2CS

SEO Jackie Chan

Your Pronunciation Sucks!

Idioms and Phrases- Cold Case

(0:24) Cold Case- an unsolved mystery

Idioms- Wrap this up

(0:25) "Carl, we've got to wrap this up."

Wrap this up- finish this.

Chinese culture and traditions documentary

Idioms

(1:18) "He comes on the king tide."

King tide is a colloquial term for an especially high spring tide, such as a perigean spring tide. "King tide" is not a scientific term, nor is it used in a scientific context.

• A perigean spring tide is a tide that occurs three or four times a year when the Moon's perigee (its closest point to Earth during its 28-day elliptical orbit) coincides with a spring tide (when the Earth, Sun and Moon are nearly aligned every two weeks).

Answers - I Love Lucy English Exercise

• at a girl- a phrase of encouragement.  Short for "that a girl."
• sunk in- was understood.
• stay in their place- they do what they're supposed to do and don't try to go beyond that.
• you've got the vote- you're able to vote; you're allowed to vote.

I love Lucy- English exercise

Using context, figure out the meaning of the following phrases:

• 'at a girl
• sunk in
• stay in their place
• you've got the vote

Idioms- Running solo

0:08) "Agent Valerian, you'll be running solo."
Running solo- doing something alone

Idioms- "Dead men tell no tales." 0:27

"Dead men tell no tales." 0:27- The dead don't speak, so they died with any secrets they might have known in life. Or, they can't speak or tell others how they have died.

English- Evolving or Devolving Language?

Is English an evolving or devolving language?
As I use clips from various television programs for student exercises, I find students having more difficulty understanding what people are saying in recent shows, as opposed to older television programs.  Speech from older programs seems to be more intelligible (understandable).  I've chosen two clips from two programs- one is from Mike and Molly which is a very recent program, and the other is from I Love Lucy which was produced in the 1950's.

•  Please watch the two clips below and leave comments as to which was easier for you to understand.

Sorry your comments are not showing up!  I am going to have to work on this and fix it.  Thank you.

Which video can you understand better?  I Love Lucy or Mike and Molly?

English Pronunciation

ANSWERS- The Big Bang Theory- Did You Hate My Short Hair

1.     What did Sheldon head-butt?

The water fountain

2.     What did Sheldon mean to do?

Punch the water fountain.

3.     The girl says she can’t imagine Sheldon being violent.  His friend says to just picture what?

The three stooges

4.     What does Sheldon say is completely illogical?

Jealousy

5.     What is Roger jealous of?

Two of the couples having happy relationships.

6.     What does Roger’s family have that people are jealous of?

Money

7.     Sheldon’s girlfriend has been envious of what since she met Penny?

Penny’s looks

8.     She was happy when Penny did what?

Cut her hair off.

9.     Penny asks if they liked her hair cut, and one girl says she thought it was what?

Brave

10. Penny asks why no one is talking about Howard’s what?

Dopey haircut