Clarification

You're "on the right track" ...

...NOT in a good path.

Ready to Get This Over With!

I am currently waiting for a lovely girl from Orbitz Customer Service to call me at home. After hours of trying to book flights for my parents through the website, they continue to reject my purchase. We called the credit card company. No problem there.

No one likes calling customer service, but fortunately this non-native English speaker has been quite pleasant. Her English is excellent, but there are always little hints that remind you you're not speaking with a native.

I couldn't help but smile when she attempted to repeat an expression I used:

Her: "Ma'am, is there a number I can call you back at because this is going to take a few minutes."

Me: "Yes, my number at home is..."

Her: "Are you going to be home this afternoon?"

Me: "Yes, I'll be home until we get this over with." (i.e. until we solve this problem/finish this)

Her: "Ok, I'll try to call you as soon as possible so you can get over with this."

I always tell my ESL learners to try to use appropriate words and phrases they read or hear from native speakers. This is exactly what she was doing, albeit she meant to say "get this over with."

I hope she calls me back...

Jump the Gun

I love questions about idioms. Today I got one about "jump the gun" from this sentence:

"I don't know if you have finished testing the lab, so I might be jumping the gun, but I started retesting it and have run into a few issues."

So, in this case, jump the gun means doing something before it should be done.

This person might be jumping the gun because he might have started retesting too early.

You might find this idiom easier to remember if you think about its origin. The idiom was originally used in sports contests that began with the firing of a gun. If a runner, for example, started before the gun was fired, they would say he/she jumped the gun.

More examples:

Investments are often acts of patience, which means you have to know when to act, and not jump the gun.

I’m not usually one to jump the gun on holidays. I like to enjoy them each as they come. That's why I never put up my Christmas tree before Thanksgiving.

They didn't want to jump the gun and launch them before they were ready, that's understandable. (http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2123988/Google-Brand-Pages-Lacking-But-Youll-Make-One-Anyway)

MY 2011 Thanksgiving

Many of you took the time to tell me Happy Thanksgiving last week and many more have asked me how it went. My 2011 Thanksgiving was awesome! And I didn't want November to end before sharing a little more in detail.

There were 3 Americans (United States citizens, excuse me), 1 South African, and 4 Argentines. Those of us from the States helped with the traditional meals while the South African and Argentines brought potato chips, alfajors, and Freddo (ice cream, for anyone reading this who is not in Argentina.) We hosted at our apartment in San Telmo - tiny kitchen and all.

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a Turkey Emergency. We got the turkey in around 4:30 pm and by 5:00 the oven was smoking. The apartment had filled with smoke. We had a true Turkey Emergency.The turkey was cooking awfully fast and wasn't supposed to be done for at least 4 more hours! It was time to call the turkey experts! Did you know that there is a Turkey Talk Line? Yes, it's true: http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/turkey-experts/overview

The woman agreed we should do what any person with a hint of common sense would do: turn the oven down.

After the turkey scare, everything ran much more smoothly. Along with the turkey we served:

Stuffing/Dressing
This is not a picture of mine, but ours had celery, mushrooms, onions, bread, and rice among other things.

Green Bean Casserole
green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and fried onions

Sweet Potato Casserole
sweet potatoes, brown sugar, cinnamon, orange juice, walnuts, butter (and more) with marshmallows on top

Chocolate Pecan Pie
chocolate, pecans, sugar, corn syrup....yum! ("Una bomba" as you would say!!)

Well, just some food vocabulary to make you hungry!
By the way, the turkey turned out fantastic! We named her Pedra.

Good Blog to follow

Just found this: http://www.summiteducation.com.pe/blog/tag/common-errors/

They are doing a countdown of the most common English mistakes made by Spanish speakers. Good explanations.

Shedding Some Light on Thanksgiving

This is an information-filled article from National Geographic which will shed some light on some Thanksgiving facts:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/11/111122-thanksgiving-2011-dinner-recipes-pilgrims-day-parade-history-facts/



to shed light on: to reveal something about something; to clarify something

Word of the Day: gist

gist: the main or essential part of a matter

Pronunciation

What was the gist of his speech? = What was his main point?

Today a client said, "The gist of my feedback is..." when wanting to sum up his feedback.

at the beginning or in the beginning?

Well, they are both correct.

When I hear or read "in the beginning," I always think of the Bible. "In the beginning, God created..."



So here's the trick. In the beginning is used on its own. But at the beginning needs to be linked to a prepositional phrase (whether written, spoken, or imagined.)

For example:

In the beginning, I found the project difficult.
At the beginning of the project, I had a difficult time adjusting.

In the end, the project turned out to be a success!
At the end of the project, we had to review and analyze the outcomes.

You will find that "in the beginning/in the end" are often more general statements.

Work vs. job

A great explanation on the difference between work and job:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/askaboutenglish/2009/03/090331_aae_work_page.shtml

Are you pronouncing these correctly?

“us-ed” à “uzd” Pronunciation

promise Pronunciation

separate (verb) Pronunciation vs. separate (adj) Pronunciation

views Pronunciation

model Pronunciation vs. module Pronunciation

“hook-ed” à “hookt” Pronunciation

request Pronunciation

pivot Pronunciation

thumbnail Pronunciation

straightforward Pronunciation

specific Pronunciation vs. specification Pronunciation

"I thought of you..."

I thought of you the other day because I watched Forrest Gump and remembered the quote you shared from the movie.

NOT I remembered you.

"You remind me of..."

You remind me of Tom Hanks. I think you look very much like him.

"You made me remember..."

You made me remember that I need to buy milk on the way home.

"You reminded me..."

Yes, you already reminded me about the meeting. I have it on my calendar.

English in Buenos Aires: Info and Contact details

For anyone looking to improve their English (specific to BsAs), this information could be of use:

Institutes

ICANA http://www.icana.org.ar/

Downtown Branch

Maipú 672

5382-1500

informescentral@icana.org.ar

Belgrano Branch

3 de Febrero 821

4576-5970

informesbelgrano@icana.org.ar

• Online placement test
• Courses of 12 or 16 hours per month
• Semi-Intensive courses
• Workshops (Conversation, Global Headline News, We are in Business, A Taste of Literature)
• NEW online courses offered
• 2012 price information not yet available

UBA Laboratorio de Idiomas http://www.idiomas.filo.uba.ar/

• 16 levels
• Courses of 3 and 4 hours per week – 17 weeks total
• 9 branches

o Microcentro - 25 de mayo 221/Tel: 4343-5981/1196 - 4334-7512

o Caballito - Facultad de Filosofía y Letras – Puán 480 5° Of. 501/Tel: 4433-5091

o Barrio Norte – Facultad de Farmacio y Bioquímica – Junín 954/Tel: 4964-8239

o Barrio Norte – Viamonte 2014/Tel: 4371-5134/3339

o Ciudad Universitaria - Pabellón 3, 4th floor/Tel: 4789-6235/6

o Paternal – Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias - Chorroarín 280/Tel: 4524 8324

o Balvanera - Anexo Ayacucho - Ayacucho entre Av. Corrientes y Lavalle (info: 4343-5981/1196 - 4334-7512)

o Palermo – Armenia 1353/Tel: 4775-7900

o Belgrano - Instituto Nacional de Antropología - 3 de Febrero 1378/Tel: 4783-6554

• Prices as of 2011 (not valid for 2012):

o 3 hours per week/17 weeks: between $807 and 1,016 pesos total

o 4 hours per week/17 weeks: between $1,075 and 1,600 pesos total

• Summer learning: December Language Lab Registration: December 15–20, 2011
• 2012 registration not yet posted

Liceo Cultural Británico http://www.liceobritanico.com/

• Courses consist of 8 modules – 2 per year – 4 months each
• Courses twice a week: 3 or 4 hours per week or intensive option on Saturday mornings
• Discounted registration now open for 2012
• Free conversation courses for enrolled students
• 14 branches

o Casa Central: Callao 362/Tel: 4374-5668

o Barrio Norte: Av. Pueyrredón 1388/Tel: 4821-9003

o Flores: Granaderos 55/Tel: 4633-7414

o Belgrano: Av. Cabildo 1660/Tel: 4787-5724

o Villa Crespo: Av. Corrientes 5305/Tel: 4855-1171

o Villa Urquiza: Díaz Colodrero 2409/Tel: 4523- 5622

o Martínez: Arenales 1928/Tel: 4793-8808

o Quilmes: Alvear 765/Tel: 4253-0908

o Hurlingham: Av. Roca 1173/Tel: 4665-8005

o San Martín: 18 de Diciembre 2060/Tel: 4713-3590

o Adrogué: Mitre 980 1º piso/Tel: 4293-7387

o Moreno: Av. Victorica 1128 y Acc. Oeste (Nine Shopping)/Tel: 0237-4625488

o Lanús: Sitio de Montevideo 15 (Esq. Hipólito Irigoyen)/Tel: 4241-3254

o El Palomar: Rosetti 6237/Tel: 4758-7367

Lenguas Vivas "Juan Ramón Fernández" http://ieslvf.caba.infd.edu.ar/sitio/

Address: Carlos Pellegrini 1515
Telephone: 4322-3992 / 96 / 98 interno 103, de 9 a 20 hs.

• Exams: November/December and April/May
• Official Certificates given by the Secretaría de Educación del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires
• Best to visit in person (I was unable to contact them by phone or email.)

Buenos Aires School of English http://www.baseonline.com.ar/

Address: Correa 4416 (Saavedra)

Telephone: 4541-0803

• Registration is normally in February and classes begin at the end of February/beginning of March.
• They organize trips to London every year
• Courses are annual (March through December) - 2/3 hours per week
• Prices not given over the phone/must set up individual meeting with the school

Certified Online Courses

ICANA (see above)

Free Online courses/material

http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/

http://www.mansioningles.com/

In the Community

Spanglish Exchange: https://www.spanglishexchange.com/

Conversation Exchange: http://www.conversationexchange.com/

"So to Speak" Conversation Groups at Club Europeo: http://www.clubeuropeo.com/index.php?PN=noticia_desarrollo&DX=995

Talk Time: http://www.talktime.com.ar/

Exams to Challenge Yourself

ETS Board: (can be taken at ICANA)

TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication): measures the ability of non-native English-speaking examinees to use English in everyday workplace activities

TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based): evaluates the ability of an individual to use and understand English in an academic setting – commonly used for university entrance

Cambridge Board: (can be taken at various locations): http://www.cambridgeesol.org/argentina/dondecuando/index.php

BEC (Business English Certificate) in 3 levels: B1 (Preliminary), B2 (Vantage), and C1 (Higher): This valuable suite of three qualifications provides clear proof that you have the English skills to make you an asset to your employer.

FCE (First Certificate in English) B2 level: exam for people who need to prove they can use everyday written and spoken English at an upper-intermediate level for work or study purposes

CAE (Certificate in Advanced English) C1 level: the leading English exam for professional and academic success

CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English) C2 level: the most advanced Cambridge exam, for learners who have achieved an extremely high level of skill in the English language