Inside:

Back to School Issue

How to Write Better Essays

8 Business Words You Need to Know

Using Music to Learn English

Published Courtesy of

September 24, 2011

Dear students,

As a new school year begins, we would like to take a moment to wish you good luck in your studies. We sincerely hope this year will be full of academic achievement beyond your wildest dreams!

We created this magazine in order to help students improve their English and studying skills while learning more about English speaking cultures. Since this magazine is for you, we welcome any questions or comments you have and will do our best to answer them in future issues. Please email me directly at dgesin@theenglishacademy.us.

In the meantime, we hope you have as much fun reading this month’s issue as we had putting it together.

Have a great year,

Derek GesinChief Editor

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Lexile Ratings

Lexiles measure a student’s reading comprehension. Lexile ratings start at 200L for simple texts and can go as high as 1700L for more difficult articles. An ESL student with a perfect score of 30 on their TOEFL iBT test should easily read texts between 940L and 1100L. As a comparison, the first Harry Potter book has a Lexile ranking of 880L. Throughout our magazine, we have indicated the lexile level of many articles to help you determine your reading comprehension level.

Table of ContentsGrammar Focus The Secrets of Grammar 13Vocabulary Focus Using Music to Learn English 11 Vocabulary & Phrases 4English for Business 8 Business Words You Need to Know 15

English for School How to Write Better Essays 5

Culture Focus The Biggest Name in English 3 Kilroy was Here 18 A Guide to Idioms 14Historical Context A Permanent Colony & Green Gold 9

Everything Else Chat & Text Abbreviations 8 Classroom Laughs 18 Quotables 19 Partners & Affiliates 20

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The Biggest Name in English

Up until 2010, this was the largest English sign in the world. While it is no longer the largest sign, the impact that one word has had on the culture of the world is immeasurable and will last forever.

This famous landmark is located in the Santa Monica mountains in Los Angeles, California. Constructed in 1923, the sign originally spelled “Hollywoodland” as an advertisement for a new neighborhood being built near Los Angeles.

The builders of the sign were trying to attract affluent people to move away from the congestion and traffic of the city and they wanted a sign that everyone could see. Ironically, the builders of the sign only expected the $21,000 sign to remain standing for 18 months.

Soon, tourists from around the world came to to see the sign.By 1949, the sign was shortened to simpy read “Hollywood” and it became a symbol of the film industry. By 1978 the wooden letters of the original sign were rotten and in very bad condition.However, with the help of 9 very famous donors who gave a total of $249,300 in donations, the original wooden sign was replaced with a sign made of steel.

The “new” letters of the sign are 45 feet (14 meters) tall and are between 31-39 feet (9.4 – 12 meters) wide. So, what happened to the original sign? Well, in 2005 it was sold to Hank Berger and George Weinbarger. They in turn sold it to Dan Bliss, who then sold it to Bill Mack. The final price of the sign? A whopping $450,000!

Lexile Rating: 1010

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Vocabulary & Phrases

Throughout this magazine, you will see many words and phrases highlighted in green. These are words and phrases you should know and use. Below are their definitions and explanations.

Afluent: Wealthy. Has lots of money. “Bill Gates is rich. He is a very affluent person.”

Statement: To say or write something that you believe is true. “All dogs go to heaven.” This is a statement that many people believe is true.”

Gradually: Slowly; over a period of time. “The iceberg gradually floated from the North Pole into the Atlantic.”

Instructions: Directions on how to do something. “The teacher gave us instructions on how to write our essays. She told us how to do it.”

Rule of thumb: A guideline or rule that is not precise or exact. “A good rule of thumb is to finish your homework sometime before you eat dinner.”

In search of: To look for something. “I was in search of success when I started my company!”

Without a trace: To vanish without any evidence remaining. “My wallet fell into the ocean. It vanished without a trace.”

Out the window: Gone. A metaphor used when you abandon or quit a project. “The boss didn’t like the idea anymore. He threw all that time and effort out the window.”

Going out of style: To do something as if there won’t be a chance to do it later. “He ate lunch so quickly today. He was ate like it was going out of style.”

Changed the course of: To alter the result or outcome. “I did very well on the English exam! It has definitely changed the course of my life because now I can go to Harvard!”

4Lexile Rating: 430

How to Write Better Essays As your English studies progress, you will be exposed to many different styles of writing. Indeed, there are many different writing styles. There are styles for business and styles for personal letters. There are styles for university classes, emails, and giving instructions. There are even styles for writing magazine articles!

Before you write anything, you should think about what it is that you want to write. For instance, if your professor asks you to write an essay on a specific subject, then you know exactly what you will write about. Essays take lots and lots of practice to perfect. Here are some simple tips that will make writing essays a little easier.

A title is where you say what you are going to write about. The title is written on the 1st page before you write your essay. Your title should be easy to understand.

Title

OutlineNow that you have written your title, you should write an essay outline. Your outline will be your map and will help guide your essay. In your outline, you should identify the main topics and ideas that you want to talk about in your essay. Additionally, you want to list your supporting evidence in order to make writing your essay easier. The following is a good template to use for outlining the ideas in your essay.

Idea: I think that.....A) Evidence that supports this idea/theoryB) Experts who support this idea/theory C) Why this idea/theory is correct

You can have as many ideas as you need, just make sure that you can connect your ideas to eachother. This will make your writing easier to understand.

IntroductionThis is where you will tell your reader what you will write about, and your opinion on the subject. A good introduction paragraph will tell the reader everything they will read in the essay and what you think about it. Your introduction should start off very general and not specific, and gradually become more specific when you get to your…Thesis Statement.

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Thesis StatementThis is the most important sentence you will write in your essay. Your thesis statement is the sentence that you must prove and support throughout the essay. A good thesis statement makes a statement or a claim that you can support and defend. Below are two examples of good thesis statements:

“The organization of the United States government as defined in the US Constitution allows for great freedom within America, however, it makes government slow to act on

the needs of the people.”

“It is important to find a cure for HIV because without it many millions of people will die from this horrible virus.”

Body Paragraphs (1 - ? )All of your body paragraphs should start with a topic sentence. If you look at your outline, your ideas will become your topic sentences. Your topic sentence should be about the ideas that you will discuss in that paragraph. For instance, if you were going to write about the American government, you might start out with a couple of sentences like this:

“The American government is divided into the Legislative, Judicial and Executive branches. The Legislative branch includes the Senate and the House of Representatives

and they are responsible for writing laws and signing treaties with foreign governments…”

Do you see how the 1st sentence, which is the topic sentence, is the idea that organizes your paragraph? It allows you to add more facts and details as you write, while keeping the writing organized. Since the first noun in the topic sentence is on the “Legislative” branch of the US government, you could keep writng details about the Legislative branch, or you could move on to the 2nd noun, the Judicial branch, etc.

ConclusionNow that you have written your essay, you need to end it. The best way to end it is with a conclusion statement. Your conclusion statement should be very similar to your thesis statement. Some students even copy their thesis statement and use it as their concluding statement, too! Just like in your first paragraph, you should give a brief review of the information you wrote about.Lexile Rating: 1000

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Introduction: Introduce your essay. Tell your reader what you are going to write about. Introduction paragraphs should be 4-5 sentences long. Start with a “big idea” and gradually tell your reader everything you are going to write about. End this paragraph with your thesis statement ( ).

Body paragraphs: Discuss your topic and provide information on the subject. Your thesis will help you decide what your main idea, or argument of the essay is. Organize your essay so that each paragraph is supported by facts and information that support your main idea (s). Also, each paragraph should be relevant to the paragraphs before and after it. A good rule of thumb is that there should be no more than 5-6 sentences in each paragraph.

Conclusion: End your essay. Start by rewriting your thesis statement. In this last paragraph, you should summarize the main ideas that you told your readers.

Visualize your essay

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Lexile Rating: 740

Chat & Text Abbreviations

As modern technology speeds up the ways in which we communicate, more and more words are being abbreviated. Why is this? Well, because modern society believes “faster is better” and that often means making words shorter so you can say more faster.

This is not a new phenomenon. In fact, when Morse code was invented by Samuel Morse, many words were shortened because it was cheaper and easier to send short words. Below are some common chat and text abbreviations for you to learn and remember.

LoL - Laughing out Loud. “That was so funny! I’m LoL!”

BRB - Be right back. “I have to do something for a moment. I’ll brb.”

BTW - By the way. “Oh, BTW, did you see John yesterday?”

CYA - See you later. “I have to go. CYA.”

FYI - For your information. “FYI, John is at the park with Jenny today.”

MYOB - Mind your own business. “Mom, MYOB. Don’t tell me what to do!”

ASAP - As soon as possible. “Hey, do your homework ASAP!”

SNAFU - Situation normal, all fouled up. It means things are not going well. “Wow, we have a real SNAFU today!”

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Lexile Rating: 420

By the early1600’s, word of the vast riches and expanse of America had reached England. Stories of unimaginable wealth and vast geographic expanses had begun to fuel the imaginations of English kings and queens, and by the late 1500’s, the decision was made to send an expedition to America in search of the wealth of the new world.

Unlike the Portugese and Spanish, the English had been slow to send explorers to America. The first was Sir Walter Raleigh, who received permission from Queen Elizabeth I to build a colony near modern day Virginia. By 1585, the 1st colony was established on Roanoke Island, but by 1590, the colony had disappeared without a trace.

In fact, even to this day, no one knows what happened to the “Lost Colony” as it is now known.

The loss of the Roanoke colony halted English ambitions in America until 1607, when the Virginia Company landed their ships, the Susan Constant, Discovery, and Godspeed at Jamestown, Virginia. Here, they were determined to build the 1st permanent English colony in America. Their mission: To search for gold and establish a permanent English settlement.

Rumors of vast gold deposits and other riches in America had come to England from Spanish and Portugese explorers who had found vast wealth in Mexico and Central America. Because of this, the English believed that America was one vast gold repository. Unfortunately for the English, the land in Virginia was not rich in gold, and the English found none.

By 1610, the colonists decided to abandon Jamestown, and they boarded their ships to head back to England.

A Permanent Colony & Green Gold

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However, fate intervened, and changed the course of American history forever. On June 9, 1610, a twist of fate occurred on the James River when the departing colonists accidentally came upon a fleet of supply ships arriving from England.

The commander of the fleet was Governor West, and he ordered the men and women to return to the colony.

Among these men were John Rolfe, and he brought with him seeds for a plant called Tobacco. He believed that he could plant these seeds in the fertile land of Virginia, and then sell the highly desired plants in Europe. Ultimately, the wealth of Virginia was not to be golden, it was to be green.

By 1614, John Rolfe was exporting substantial quantities of tobacco to Europe. After nearly a decade of trials and tribulations, the Virginia Colony was

a profitable venture. John Rolfe had also helped establish peaceful relations with the local indian tribes. How did he do this? Well, he married a woman named Pocahontas, but that’s a whole other story.

Lexile Rating: 1100

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PopMichael Bolton

REMKaty Perry

CherBackstreet Boys

Hip-HopUsher

Mary J. BligeKeyshia Cole

FergieNelly

Teachers and students love song lyrics! Song lyrics are great teachers of functional language. They show how language is used by people in everyday conversations. Since songs are basically poems with music, this makes them ideal tools to use in a classroom or even on your own time. Lyrics can be a great way to learn slang and common vocabulary. However, they do not always use correct grammar, spelling, or punctuation. In fact, most songs written after the 1970’s should not be used to learn these respective aspects of language. This is because the 1980’s saw a major culture shift in America and other English speaking countries. Music styles changed, as did the way people wrote and spoke the English language.

When hard rock, rap, and hip hop became popular music styles, they often threw grammar rules out the window. Subconsciously, listeners felt that the abandonment of these grammar rules was a form of rebellion, and it is one reason that these songs became so popular. While musicians frequently abandoned the commonly accepted rules of grammar, they planted slang vocabulary like it was going out of style. Words and phrases that

were obscure suddenly became common household jargon. Speaking styles and thousands of words like “cool” and “awesome” grew in acceptance and usage.

For that reason, using songs to learn how people really speak and interact is a wonderful guide to the English language. Below are some recommended artists whose songs are a window into the heart of modern English usage. Most of these musicians and bands sing in a tone of voice that is easy to understand, with lyrics that are easily researched.

Additionally, all of these had a major influence on the music and culture of America and the world.

Using Music to Learn English

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1. Decide which singer you want to listen to, and what song you want to hear. If you don’t know the name ofthe song, just type the words you know into Google. Chances are, you’ll find it easily.

2. Play the song on Youtube one or two times. Just listen to it.

3. Now, download the lyrics from the internet. Again, Google is a wonderful tool to find song lyrics on.

4. Print the lyrics out. Circle the words you know, and underline the words you don’t know.. You might be surprised just how many circles you have!

5. Look up the words you don’t know in the dictionary.

6. Practice reading, writing, and speaking these words until you know them.

RockBon Jovi

Michael JacksonMadonnaGenesis

Huey Lewis and the News

CountryGarth BrooksGeorge StraitAlan Jackson

BlackhawkAlabama

OldiesThe Beatles

Neil DiamondDave Clark 5Tom Jones

Herman’s Hermits

Lexile Rating: 1100

Lexile Rating: 910

Study Tips

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“I is real good English speaker. I done studied hard. I don’t need no grammar lessons.” Or, do you? There is no question that grammar is hard. Learning correct English grammar takes years of practice and dedication. One thing is certain; the more you practice grammar, the better you will become! So, here are some common grammar errors and things to be careful when you are writing and speaking.

Loose & Lose? This is a spelling and a pronunciation problem, so pay attention!

Loose[loos]: Describes something that is not tight and could fall off. For instance, “The door was loose. It fell off the house.”

Lose [looz]: This means that something cannot be found. For instance, “Did you lose your keys when you fell in the water?”

They’re, their or there? This is a really common error, and is often made because these words are homophones. That means that they are pronounced the same, but spelled differently and have different definitions.

They’re: This is a contraction of they + are. For example, “Mark and Mary are going to have a picnic. They’re going together to the park.”

Their: Their is a possessive pronoun. It is used to show ownership of an object or an idea. For example, “That is John and Sarah’s picnic basket. It is their picnic basket.”

There: This word is used to show a location or a place. For example, Look over there!

You’re or Your? Again, this is the difference between a contraction and a possessive pronoun.

You’re: You’re is the contraction of you + are. For example, you are going to the lake. You’re going to go swimming.

Your: This is a possessive pronoun. For example, this is your magazine, correct? Is this your swimming suit?

Effect or Affect ? This is one of the most common English errors and is one that even native English speakers regularly make.

Affect: To affect means to cause something to happen. For instance, John F. Kennedy’s speeches affected many people’s lives. That means that his speeches changed peoples lives. Now, here’s where it gets confusing.

The Secrets of Grammar

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Idioms. These are the expressions in English that most non-native English speakers have the most difficulty with. However, with some practice, you too can master idioms in your speaking and writing.

Idioms are phrases that at first don’t seem to make any sense. In fact, most idioms are very logical, which means that once you think about them, they make perfect sense!

So, where do idioms come from? Well, most idioms come from history. At some time, something happened to someone, and from that event, a phrase was born.

Look at the idioms below. Can you guess where they may have originated and what they mean?

“A dime a dozen.”

“ A piece of cake.”

“Armed to the teeth”

“Brand spanking new.”

“All that glitters is not gold.”

“Sick as a dog.”

(Answers are on page 17)

Effect: This is the result or consequence of change. For example, John F. Kennedy’s speech at NASA affected me deeply. Therefore, the effect was that I became very emotional and excited when we landed on the moon!

Then or Than? This is a common, but easily correctable error.

Then: is a word that is used to describe time. For example, we went to school and then we took our test.

Than: Than is a word that is used to show comparisons between two things. For instance, John is taller than Sarah.

Its or It’s? Wow! If I had a nickel for every time someone made this mistake!

Its: This is a possessive pronoun and is used to show ownership of an object. For example, Look at that dog playing with the ball. That certainly is its favorite toy!

It’s: Just like you’re and they’re, this is a contraction of “it is” and is used to make sentences a little bit shorter. For example, it is easier to use a contraction. Don’t you think it’s easier to use a contraction when writing sentences?

Lexile Rating: 550

A Guide to Idioms

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When writing business letters or presentations, correct spelling is often the difference between a missed opportunity and a lucrative agreement. While most people will spend considerable time and effort to ensure they are using correct grammar and correct pronunciation, most people will neglect a spelling check before delivering documents or presentations to prospective clients or business partners.

This is often a costly mistake because most employers and prospective business partners will check resumes and contracts for spelling errors. Why do they do this? Well, they do this because correct spelling shows your attention to details. If your spelling is off, well, you’re off the table.

Here are 10 of the most commonly misspelled English words, their definitions, and the proper ways to use them. It is important to know these words because they will be seen in almost every business conversation you will ever have.

Accommodate (Verb):

Defintion: To make arrangements for comfort. To make something possible. To bring into agreement.

Will you please change your schedule to accommodate the client’s schedule?

Can you add more facilities to accommodate the needs of the upcoming conference?

Commitment (Noun):

Definition: An agreement. A promise to do or complete something now or in the future.

The bosses commitment to the company was always obvious.

Nobody doubts the team’s commitment to the project.

8 Business Words You Need to Know

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Proceed (Verb):

Definition: To continue doing something. To move forward.

The boss said it was ok to proceed with the project.

The work on the new office building is proceeding as planned.

Separate (Adjective):

Definition: Not connected. Something that is kept apart and not combined with anything.

I met John in Korea on four separate occasions.

That is a separate issue that we will discuss at another time.

Embarrass (Verb):

Definition: To make fun of or tease. To make someone uncomfortable because of bad behavior.

Don’t embarrass yourself by not spelling words correctly!

I would never do something that would embarrass my family or my company.

Acknowledgment (Noun):

Definition: The act of acknowledging factual information or providing congratulations for a job well done.

Microsoft made many acknowledgments of the flaws in their Windows operating system.

Andrew Carnegie finally received the acknowledgment he deserved for his charitable work.

Judgment (Noun):

Definition: A decision or opinion.

It is the judgment of the company that this is a bad business arrangement.

His judgment was correct when he suggested that we buy gold stock in 2004.

Liaison (Noun):

Definition: A person who helps organizations or groups work together.

John works as a liaison between the people and the police department.

The secretary is a liaison between the boss and the employees.

Lexile Rating: 76016

A Guide To Idioms:Answer Key

“Sick as a dog.”

Meaning: Not healthy. Very sick.Origin: The first use of this phrase was in the 1700’s, and it was used to describe someone who was not healthy.

“A piece of cake”

Meaning: Not difficult. Easy.Origin: This idiom started in the 1700’s when small cakes were given as prizes for competitions.

“Brand spanking new.”

Meaning: New. Never been used.Origin: When babies are born, the doctor often spanks them so they will cry and clear their lungs of fluid.

“A dime a dozen.”

Meaning: Cheap, not expensiveOrigin: In 1796, the US Congress decided to make a new coin. It was called a dime and is still used today. In the late 1700’s cakes were sold in groups of 12 (dozen), and they cost 10 cents.

“Armed to the teeth.”

Meaning: Has lots of weapons. Origin: Pirates used to carry lots of weapons. Sometimes, they would even carry a knife in their mouth...between their teeth.

“All that glitters is not gold.”

Meaning: Beautiful things may not be valuable.Origin: This came from the practice of dishonest gold prospectors trying to sell pyrite (a rock that looks like gold), but is not valuable at all.

Lexile Rating: 600

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This popular American cultural expression literally traveled the world during World War II. The expression and the accompanying picture of Kilroy was drawn by American soldiers on buildings, cars, tanks, boats, and even on at least one occasion, a bathroom. Painting Kilroy’s throughout the world was one way of letting other soldiers know that “friendly” soldiers had already been there. This sparked competition among the GI’s, all of whom wanted to be the first to paint Kilroy in the next town and win the war!

Classroom Laughs

Kilroy was Here

Once we were talking about professions, that’s right, jobs. There was the typical doctor, dentist, taxi driver and teacher. However, in this lesson, there were also some new words that really stretched my students abilities. For example, they struggled with “musician” crying out “MUSIC CHICKEN!”

- John Trammell, South Korea

Challenge: There are 5 Kilroy’s in this magazine (Not counting the one above). What pages are they on?

Lexile Rating: 1190

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Answers: Cover, 3, 10, 13, 19

Quotables

“I personally believe we developed language because of our deep inner need to complain.”

- Jane Wagner

“It’s a strange world of language in which skating on thin ice can get you into hot water.”

- Franklin P. Jones

“The English language is nobody’s special property. It is the property of the imagination: it is the property of the

language itself.”

- Derek Walcott

“Language is the means of getting an idea from my brain into yours without surgery.”

- Mark Amidon

“He who does not know foreign languages does not know anything about his own.”

-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

“The pen is the tongue of the mind.”

- Miquel de Cervantes

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Partners and Affiliates

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