Just For Laughs: Private Native English Teacher

These made me smile, so I thought that I would share them with you. I can't take credit since my friend, another private native English teacher, sent them to me.



Kids are quick.



Teacher: Heather, go to the map and find North America.
Heather: Here it is.
Teacher: Good. Now class, who can tell me who discovered America?
Class: Heather




Teacher: Thomas, how do you spell crocodile?
Thomas: k-r-o-k-o-d-i-a-l
Teacher: No, that's not right.
Thomas: Maybe it's wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.




Teacher: Thomas, how do you always manage to get so dirty?
Thomas: I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.




Teacher: Heather, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
Heather: A teacher.




Teacher: Jenna, name one important thing that we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
Jenna: Me!



Want more? Here are some fun English facts: Native English Teacher

Summer Courses at The Math Clinic

Summer is here!


Instead of wasting time playing video games, get a competitive advantage over your peers. Beyond native English classes, The Math Clinic, in Sheung Wan, is offering a variety of summer courses with specialized professionals at the top of their fields.









For more information on The Math Clinic click here: Native English Teacher.


Or contact Mrs lee directly at 9344-5855 or email mathclinic@netvigator.com

Phobias: Native English Teacher in Hong Kong

One interesting way to explore root words and their meanings is through the many different types of phobias.


The word phob is derived from the Greek word 'to fear'.


Phobia is defined as a persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous. They are often seemingly normal for the average person, but strike terror in the heart of the poor soul suffering from them.


Here are some of the more unusual ones I came across:


Peladophobia- Fear of bald people

Phobophobia- Fear of phobias

Xanthophobia- Fear of the color yellow or the word yellow

Pupaphobia- Fear of puppets

Numerophobia- Fear of numbers

Lachanophobia- Fear of vegetables

Geniophobia- Fear of chins

Cyclophobia- Fear of bicycles

Alliumphobia- Fear of garlic

Alektorophobia- Fear of chickens

Ablutophobia- Fear of washing or bathing

Chirophobia- Fear of hands


Here is a more complete list of phobias, and find some interesting English facts at: Native English Teacher.




Courage is not the lack of fear but the ability to face it.
Lt. John B. Putnam Jr. (1921-1944)

It's All Greek to Me: Learning the Root of our Language

If you are serious about studying English, it's wise to invest time learning the root words, prefixes and suffixes. This comes in especially handy if you are preparing for exams such as the SAT, TOEFL or other standardized tests where you are often asked to make educated guesses about the meanings of words that you may never have heard before.



Better yet, start early.



It's wise to begin teaching children about word origins. While phonics helps them to learn how to sound out words, it affords the child no greater understanding of the word's actual meaning. As a native English teacher, I have come across many kids who could read a story perfectly, but on further probing it became obvious that they have no idea what they are actually reading. The child has mastered a system, but has no understanding of the language they are using. Scary stuff.



Most English words have Latin, Greek or German origins. A root is essentially the part of the word you are left with once it has been stripped of its prefix and suffix (beginning and ending). This word part tells the meaning in its Latin or Greek form. Teaching your child root words will greatly enhance their comprehension of the English language and at times, also languages derived from Greek, Roman, and German. These include many of today’s European and South American languages.




So what are roots, prefixes and suffixes?



Essentially, English words are broken up into three parts:

The root is the basic meaning or definition of a word. Its base. It stands alone as a word. Sometimes root words have several different meanings.


The prefix is the word element placed in front of a word. It changes the meaning of the root, or creates a new word altogether. They are not words themselves, and usually have only one distinct meaning.


The suffix is the word element placed after the root and changes the meaning. but most importantly they show how a word will be used in a sentence and what part of speech (e.g. noun, verb, adjective) the
word belongs to.


For example, 'comfort' is a root word. By adding the prefix 'dis' and the suffix 'able' you can make new words such as 'discomfort' and 'comfortable.'



I recommend buying a good root word dictionary and beginning to systematically learn them as one would with any vocabulary.


Here is a list of the most common roots, prefixes and suffixes.

More Random English Facts: Native English Teacher

Here are some more random English facts for all you lexiophiles (lovers of words):




The word 'queue' is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.


No word in the English language rhymes with 'month,' 'silver,' 'purple,' or 'orange.'


The words 'assassination' and 'bump' were invented by Shakespeare.


China has more English speakers than the United States.


The plural of mouse, the rodent, is mice. The plural of mouse, the computer hardware device, is mouses.


Widow is the only female form in the English language that is shorter than its corresponding male term (widower).


The longest one-syllable word in the English language is 'screeched.'


The letter most in use in the English language is 'E' and the letter 'Q' is least used.


Pinocchio is Italian for 'pine head.'


The word 'lethologica' describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.


The phrase 'sleep tight' originated when mattresses were set upon ropes woven through the bed frame. To remedy sagging ropes, one would use a bed key to tighten the rope.


The word 'set' has more definitions than any other word in the English language.


In Chinese, the words for crisis and opportunity are the same.


There is no synonym for 'thesaurus.'


The first word spoken on the moon was 'okay.'


The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.


Before jets, jet lag was called boat lag.


Karaoke means 'empty orchestra' in Japanese.


The word 'nerd' was first coined by Dr. Seuss in 'If I ran the Zoo'.


And one not so related to English, but mind blowing none-the-less: If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.




For more English facts visit Oddities and Interesting Things.

Singing to Fluency: Native English Teacher

If the idea of sitting through another English lesson isn't motivating you, maybe it's time to sing a different tune.



Children are naturally drawn to the rhythm and rhyme of music. Though they are not aware of it, the songs of childhood have a profound influence on their language development. Singing helps kids to naturally understand the underlying rhythm, colloquial expressions, reductions, speech patterns, stress and intonation used in English. It programmes the brain to recognize and imitate the inflection and speech patterns allowing children to develop a more neutral accent. Music also provides a common language for kids to share with their peers, regardless of fluency.




Take the ABC song. It is probably one of the most famous English songs of all time. Every single English speaking person has sung it, and probably still sings it when doing any alphabetizing. Not only does it help to remember the letters, it’s also useful for associating sounds with those letters. Good luck getting this song out of your head after singing it a few times.




Beyond children's music, the benefits of learning English songs and participating in a singing group within an English environment extends to adults too. Singing lessons can be much less frustrating than standardized run-of-the-mill textbook instruction, and serves as an easy way to familiarize yourself with popular culture, slang and idiomatic expressions. Participating in a class is ideal to keep motivated and the English environment affords you conversational practice.



And, if taking a class doesn't work for you, sing along to English music at home. The lyrics can be found online to help you better understand what is being said. Here is a site that has done the work for you: Private Native English Tutors of Hong Kong.

Knee Nibblers: science and craft projects for kids

As a native English teacher I have acquired many interesting science and craft projects for kids over the years. Anyone who has spent time with children can appreciate their limitless curiosity and fascination with the how and why things work. The job of parents and educators alike is to facilitate that thirst for knowledge. So, I thought I would share my growing collection with you.




I've created a new blog entitled Knee Nibblers. Use it as an inspirational tool filled with ideas of things to do with your kids that will stimulate their mind and help them to learn about the world around them. Science and craft projects are excellent one-on-one time, and pull everyone away from the computer or TV. Don't forget to schedule time to play




If you have any of your own that you care to share, let me know and I will post them.

Voice of America - Native English Teacher

Here is another great site for native English teachers and English students alike: Voice of America.



VOA provides recordings of current world news and the transcripts for each broadcast. Those wishing to improve their stress and intonation or listening skills will find this feature useful.



Beyond world news, VOA offers a section on the origins of idioms and common expressions.‘Words & Their Stories’ is a weekly 5 minute program that explains the history of these terms used in everyday North American English. Understanding how and why a seemingly abstract idiom, such as: ‘I'm feeling very blue today', came to thrive in everyday language is helpful to know, making it easier to use correctly.



In addition, VOA provides ‘Special English’. These stories contain short, active sentences and no idioms, perfect for less experienced speakers. The broadcasters read at about 2/3rds the normal pace to allow people learning English to hear the words more clearly.



Check it out.

Break A Leg - Native English Teacher in Hong Kong

Have you ever heard the idiomatic expression 'break a leg'? As in: "Hey George, good luck with your performance tonight. Break a leg!"



Native English speakers use this idiom to wish good luck, especially among theatre performers just before walking onstage. Although it likely began among actors, its usage has since spilled over into mainstream vernacular to generally mean good luck in any situation. Its definite origins are unclear and heavily debated, but here are a few of the more popular theories that I have found.




The first suggests that 'break a leg' was fashioned from superstition. It was once common for people to believe in sprites or spirits. They were renowned to be mischievous creatures, gaining immense enjoyment from wreaking havoc and causing trouble. If the sprites happened to overhear a request for something, they would do their best to ensure the opposite would happen. In an attempt to outsmart the spirits, a speaker would resort to basic reverse psychology. By telling a person to 'break a leg' you would really be wishing them luck.

If "good luck" causes bad luck, then the perceived bad luck of breaking one's leg causes good. Tricky, tricky.





Another theory states that the idiom came from an old style of tipping. It was common at one point for an audience to tip actors at the end of a successful stage performance by throwing money, typically coins, onstage. The performers would then have to kneel down to pick up the coins. A joke developed between actors about having to bend down often to pick up the huge amount of tips, therefore breaking a leg. Good luck indeed.




A third source suggests the idiom simply describes 'breaking the legline' ie: bending the knee, when an actor would kneel to pick up coins.




If you are interested in reading more theories on this idiom visit: Answers.com.