Greetings in English

From a Facebook conversation:

Tiffany: Native English Speakers, When you greet someone on a day to day basis, what words do you say? And what is the typical answer? Be honest, variety helps!

Laurie: Hello or Hi.......then i tell them that my Nan thinks i'm wonderful ;) hehehe

Angus: Howdy!

Tiffany: Laurie, you never use ''g'day"?

Laurie: maybe only sometimes.......Grandpa Bill says it & i also know a few others that use it all the time too :) another one I & other people i know say is "Hey"......Mum says Hello too....Oh & Nan says "G'day" too :)

Sevika: Hey, how's it going? Or simply the very South African, howzit!

Vance: For telephones I always use "Ahoy", as Alexander Graham Bell would have wanted. In real life, theres no telling what you'll get when you see me. Any thing from me pretending to tie my shoes to avoid talking to you, to a loud and disingenuous "HEY, HOW YOU DOIN' BUDDY!"

Joe: If I saw you this morning I would say "Hey Tiffany"

Sarah: hey, how are you/how was your day?
reply: good/quite good/ok/busy/the usual

Sarah: @Vance: what do you do if you bend down to tie your shoes, and you realise you have no laces, or velcro?

Vance:
I've many tactics for avoiding talking to insipid fools. shoelaces are just one.

Alicia: We always say "good morning" and reply "good morning" at work - everyone.

Barb: I say hiya which is very british

Lisa: If it is someone I know well, I usually say "Hey" or "Hey there!". If it is more an acquaintance (that I'd see on a day-to-day basis), I us "Hi" or "Hello". The reply is usually a repeat of the greeting I used. (Beyond this is the very typical but meaningless "How are you doing?" to which the reply is a very non-committal "Fine", "Good" or a plea-for-connection-through-shared-misery, "Tired", "Exhausted".)

Let's try to use these every day expressions the next time we meet.

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New English File

This is a link to many activities for English students of all levels. New English File, part of Oxford University Press.

Write Your Shopping List in English!

We're always looking for new ways to integrate English into our life and make it more 'natural'. Try writing your shopping list in English. Try writing in your diary in English.

Have you turned your mobile to 'English' yet?

Photo: Albert Vila (India, 2008)

Cambridge School Blog

Hello everyone,

I came across the Cambridge School Blog and it has some interesting pieces. Take a look when you have time.

Photo: Tiffany Jones (Sumatra, 2009)

September Theme: Self Introductions

This month we'll be concentrating on giving brief self-introductions. What is appropriate information, and what isn't?  If I am the listener, what questions can I ask?

Write up a self-introduction including your name, country of birth, some family details, your work and your hobbies. You can also add more personal information, for example,  if you own a pet, or your favourite books/movies and how you spend your leisure time.

Take a look at the the two videos below. The first one is short and to the point. The second one may take some more time to understand.

Power English

Hi everyone,

I just stumbled across this Ted Power website with some great information for English learners. Take a look!

Remember, for all the links and information that one accumulates, it all means nothing if you don't apply it. Simply spoken: study for results!

Photo: Tiffany Jones (Lake Toba, Sumatra)

Typical Problems for Spanish Learners

This was an excellent PDF for Vocabulary Problems for Spanish Learners.   From what I can tell, it costs money to down load it.  Intermediate or Advanced.