Proverbs 27:5-6
Open rebuke is better
Than love carefully concealed.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Rebuke: a strong verbal correction
Learn English online at your convenience with individualized attention. Conversation, Accent Reduction, TOEFL, USMLE (Step 2 CS), and more. Contact me today to schedule a lesson! Special offer- Free 15 minutes and evaluation: silvaenglishonline@gmail.com
About Me
- Silva English Online
- After living in Portugal for 15 years and teaching English in various capacities there, including at the University of Aveiro, I moved back to the United States in 2019. Returning for our church was the best decision we have ever made and God has been so good to us. Reading the Bible everyday and trying to keep the commandments of Jesus are my priorities, along with loving my family and all the people God has put into my life. Helping people is something I enjoy doing, and meeting the individual needs of students who want to learn English is important to me.
Sunday, June 23, 2024
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Proverbs
Proverbs 13:2 2A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
TThe words we speak determine the way we live (this is eating the fruit of what we say).
Monday, June 17, 2024
Proverbs
Proverbs 6:9-11
How long will you slumber, Oh sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep-
So shall your proverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.
Vocabulary:
sluggard: a lazy, slow moving person.
prowler: a thief, a person who steals.
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Monday, April 13, 2020
Friday, July 5, 2019
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Friday, November 2, 2018
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Monday, October 15, 2018
HAVE FUN While Learning English
One of the exercises I had to do while taking a voice class at Temple University was to stand up and secure one bent leg with one hand behind me while extending the other hand in front of me. Why? That's what I was wondering at the time too. The point is not only to help you "center" and "direct" your voice, but to distract you while trying to do it. And it helped! Letting go of inhibitions can really help when it comes to anything to do with vocalizing whether it be learning to sing, or learning a new language.
I've always been told I'm a serious person. Having integrity is important to me, but a sense of humor can be important too. After establishing what a student's goals are, and targeting their problem areas, I like to help them "become distracted" and have fun while making improvements.
Using clips from sit-coms (comedy programs) for exercises is one way students can have fun while learning English. A short vocabulary list is given for the student to learn before watching the brief video clip, and then some questions are provided for the student to answer. So along with building vocabulary, the ability to utilize context for comprehension is also being developed. Having a laugh about something funny we've read is also a great way to find ourselves distracted while making improvements during a lesson.
Lastly, alcohol is a natural muscle relaxer. As the tongue is a muscular organ, why not have a glass of wine before practicing your English. I'm not recommending making a habit of it, but once in a while might be ok!
I've always been told I'm a serious person. Having integrity is important to me, but a sense of humor can be important too. After establishing what a student's goals are, and targeting their problem areas, I like to help them "become distracted" and have fun while making improvements.
Using clips from sit-coms (comedy programs) for exercises is one way students can have fun while learning English. A short vocabulary list is given for the student to learn before watching the brief video clip, and then some questions are provided for the student to answer. So along with building vocabulary, the ability to utilize context for comprehension is also being developed. Having a laugh about something funny we've read is also a great way to find ourselves distracted while making improvements during a lesson.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Monday, October 8, 2018
Monday, October 1, 2018
Things that Hold us Back from Speaking English
1. Being self conscious
Worrying about how you sound or whether or not you're speaking perfectly can keep you from even trying. If someone can't understand you, or even makes a comment about how you aren't speaking well you have to learn to brush it off and keep going. Learn to laugh at yourself, even, and keep in mind it's quite possible the person judging you may not even speak another language.
2. Lack of opportunity to speak or listen
If you aren't living in an English speaking country, you'll have to take it upon yourself to engage in self immersion. How? Find a television program in English and dedicate a time to watch it everyday. Try to find something with the same characters in it, as this will help you to begin "predicting" what someone might say and find more meaning in the context of what you're watching. This speeds up the learning process. Listening to native speakers will also help you with your pronunciation. Now all you need to do is find someone to talk to so you can practice.
3. People around you all speak your language
Living in Portugal hasn't necessarily made it easy for me to learn Portuguese. Everyone here seems to speak English. So I have to force myself to speak Portuguese even when those around me are speaking in English. It is much easier and less tiresome for me to fall back into my native language, and believe me I've done it many times. But when I'm conscious of the fact I need to improve my Portuguese I make a deliberate effort to not revert back to my English-speaking
comfort zone.
Worrying about how you sound or whether or not you're speaking perfectly can keep you from even trying. If someone can't understand you, or even makes a comment about how you aren't speaking well you have to learn to brush it off and keep going. Learn to laugh at yourself, even, and keep in mind it's quite possible the person judging you may not even speak another language.
2. Lack of opportunity to speak or listen
If you aren't living in an English speaking country, you'll have to take it upon yourself to engage in self immersion. How? Find a television program in English and dedicate a time to watch it everyday. Try to find something with the same characters in it, as this will help you to begin "predicting" what someone might say and find more meaning in the context of what you're watching. This speeds up the learning process. Listening to native speakers will also help you with your pronunciation. Now all you need to do is find someone to talk to so you can practice.3. People around you all speak your language
Living in Portugal hasn't necessarily made it easy for me to learn Portuguese. Everyone here seems to speak English. So I have to force myself to speak Portuguese even when those around me are speaking in English. It is much easier and less tiresome for me to fall back into my native language, and believe me I've done it many times. But when I'm conscious of the fact I need to improve my Portuguese I make a deliberate effort to not revert back to my English-speaking
comfort zone.
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